受英联邦秘书长卡莫什﹒沙玛（Kamalesh Sharma）先生之邀， 作为工党外交事务发言人的议员克里斯 ﹒卡特(Chris Carter)已决定领导一个选举小组，监管圣基茨和尼维斯国的大选。这个加勒比海小国的大选定于1月25日。它的上次大选在
2004年，因腐败问题备受质疑。
卡特议员一行五人小组将在10天行程里会见圣基茨和尼维斯国及大选相关人士。
大选后，卡特议员率领的该小组将就选举事宜在一月底向秘书长提交报告。同时卡
特议员将花一天在纽约会见前总理海伦﹒克拉克(Helen Clark), 联合国发展计划署
的加勒比海问题专家也将向他简要介绍选举情况。
“作为一个新西兰政治家，我很荣幸受英联邦秘书长之邀领导该小组。英联邦在宣扬民主及管理其54个不同会员国的工作上做得很出色。此次我们去监督圣尼茨和尼维斯国大选足以显示英联邦对地方民主进程的支持。
卡特议员表示他之所以接受邀请，是希望因之而对该地区有更多了解。
新西兰和加勒比海国家除了体育赛事外鲜有交流。“大选小组里的加勒比海政要可以让我更深入了解这个最近因为海地地震而为全球所关注的地区。”
卡特议员先前有丰富的大选监督经历。他曾作为英联邦小组成员监督了1994年南非第一次多民族大选，也曾率领大型新西兰代表团监督所罗门群岛大选，更曾被指派为2000年美国总统竞选官方观察员。
英联邦总部将承担卡特议员加勒比海和纽约之行的所有相关开销。
18 January 2010 Media Statement
Chris Carter to lead Caribbean election monitoring team
Commonwealth Secretary General HE Mr Kamalesh Sharma has asked Labour’s Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Chris Carter to lead an election team to monitor the general election to be held in St Kitts and Nevis. The election in the small Caribbean state is scheduled for the 25 January. The last election in 2004 was plagued by allegations of corrupt practices.
Chris Carter and his 5 person team will spend 10 days in St Kitts and Nevis meeting political parties and individuals involved in the run up to the general election. The team under Chris Carter’s leadership will then write a report after Election Day to be presented to the Secretary General by the end of January. He will also spend a day in New York meeting with the New Zealand mission, former Prime Minister Helen Clark, and being briefed by UNDP Caribbean specialists as part of his election brief.
“As a New Zealand politician I am really honoured that the Commonwealth Secretary General has asked me to lead this team. The Commonwealth does an excellent job in promoting democracy and good governance among its diverse 54 country membership. Our presence in St Kitts and Nevis is a tangible commitment by the Commonwealth to support local democracy.”
Chris Carter said he agreed to lead the election team because he was keen to learn more about the region.
Other than sporting events, contact between New Zealand and the island nations of the Caribbean have been limited. “The presence of other Caribbean officials and politicians in the team will give me, as Labour’s Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, useful contacts and an insight into a region of the world which has been in the spotlight following the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti.”
Chris Carter has had previous experience in the role of election monitoring. He was a member of the Commonwealth Team that monitored South Africa’s first multiracial election in 1994, was an official observer in the US Presidential election in 2000, and led the large New Zealand election team which monitored the Solomon Island’s election in 2002.
All costs related to Chris Carter’s role in the Caribbean and New York will be met by the Commonwealth Office.
