Commonwealth Observer Group Chair Hannah Tetteh said yesterday former Parliamentary Commissioner Sherlyn Hall's replacement, which took place just days before Wednesday's election, was "unusual" in her team's observations of the 2017 general election.
Despite concerns about the appointment of Acting Commissioner Charles Albury less than one week before the election, overall, the group believes that the voting, closing and counting process at the polling stations were credible and transparent.
"The operations of the Parliamentary Registration Department (PRD) faced renewed spotlight when it was reported that the contract of the commissioner lapsed on 4 May, five days to the elections," Tetteh said in her interim statement at the Hilton yesterday.
"The group finds this occurrence highly unusual.
"We are of the view [that] it unnecessarily introduced anxiety into a charged electoral environment.
"An acting parliamentary commissioner was subsequently appointed and most stakeholders appeared to be confident in the ability of the commissioner to oversee a credible elections process.
"Our group met with him and was similarly assured."
The group also recommended a modernized system for storing and sealing ballots as well as a "modern and reliable voters register" for future elections.
She said, "Every good election starts with a reliable voter register.
"Despite the efforts of the registration department to produce a reliable manual register, it is essential that priority is given to establishing a modern and reliable voters' register for the next elections."
The team highlighted issues at last week's advance poll which was met with much chaos.
However, it believes officials from PRD learned from their mistakes to ensure a smooth general election.
A Commonwealth advance team was in The Bahamas to observe the advance polls on May 3.
The team said the management of the process was of significant concern.
"The team noted that although the actual voting inside the polling station was generally well conducted and concluded in a peaceful manner, the management of the operational and logistical aspects of the process, that was of significant concern," she said.
"We were alarmed by the open campaigning and loud music prevailed in and around the advanced polling station at the Kendal Isaacs gymnasium.
"When the former prime minister arrived to vote, the rush of the chanting crowd from supporters of the two main political parties on the barriers placed before the actual polling station was unfortunate.
"Such occurrences have no place in a neutral and safe voting environment."
She added, "Other challenges observed were the preparedness of election officials, the timely availability of a certified register to political parties and even to the returning officer in order to inform critical decisions. "Further, a rather loose interpretation of the law with respect to party agents being allowed to vote on advanced polling day overwhelmed the system.
"The group was told that pressure was brought to bear on the Parliamentary Registration Department to facilitate the processing of party agents as advance voters even after the date stipulated under the law.
"It was evident the Parliamentary Registration Department used the experience of advanced polling day to ensure some of these issues did not resurface on 10 May.
"We commend the acting parliamentary commissioner in this regard."

Well done
The observer group commended the increase in women candidates and efforts to enhance women's political representation in Parliament.
It said the rallies were peaceful, orderly, vibrant and engaging.
Also, the group said they were impressed with the high level of technological preparedness of the police force and the manner in which they had considered every single aspect of the electoral process that could be supported by the police.
The group also said Utilities Regulations and Competitions Authority (URCA) did a commendable job in developing a Code of Practice for Content Regulation.

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