Former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi will lead a Commonwealth Observer Group to Maldives’ presidential elections scheduled for 7 September.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma constituted the Group at the invitation of the Maldives Elections Commission, the Commonwealth said on its website.

The Commonwealth Observer Group’s mandate is to observe and consider all aspects of the electoral process with a view to assessing compliance with the standards for democratic elections to which Maldives has committed itself. Where appropriate, the Group may also make recommendations for the future strengthening of the electoral framework.

Commonwealth Observer Groups act impartially and independently and conduct themselves according to the standards expressed in the International Declaration of Principles for Election Observation, to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.

The Commonwealth Observer Group to the 2013 Maldives elections will submit its report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will in turn send it to the Government of Maldives, the Elections Commission, Maldivian political parties and eventually to all Commonwealth governments.

The 17-member Commonwealth Observer Group will arrive in Malé on 31 August and will remain there until 14 September. A Commonwealth Secretariat team will support the Group, led by Ms Nishana Jayawickrama, Head of the Asia/Europe Section of the Political Affairs Division.