Video: Commonwealth Secretary-General on the importance of free and fair elections

24 June 2014
News

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma speaks on Kenyan TV about the work the Commonwealth is doing to promote democracy, promote women's rights and support the future of young people.

Courtesy of Power Breakfast Show, Citizen Television, Royal Media Services, Kenya

Mr Sharma spoke to the popular Kenyan network at length about the importance of the Commonwealth's work in underpinning fair and free elections, saying "We work for every citizen in the country. Every citizen in the Commonwealth has the right that when they go to vote it is not a sham. I like to think that we can develop a gold standard in the Commonwealth in election management. We are responding to something that all member countries want. This is because all over the world, the culture of democracy has caught on."

The Commonwealth Electoral Network Conference brought together 59 electoral officials from 36 Commonwealth countries under the theme: ‘Managing Elections in the 21st Century: Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Electoral Integrity’. Ahmed Issack Hassan, Chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission of Kenya has now taken over as Chair of the Commonwealth Electoral Network Steering Committee from Marc Mayrand, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada.