Government of the Federated States of Micronesia

South Pacific Electoral Administrators Conference

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Information Service): October 3, 1997
– A Conference for the South Pacific Electoral Administrators and
officials is scheduled to be held in Suva, Fiji, from October 8 to
10, 1997, according to the FSM National Election Office.

FSM has been invited to attend and to participate in the
Conference. The FSM National Election Director has designated
Assistant Director Heinrick A. Stevenson and National Election
Commissioner for the State of Kosrae Ken Olter to represent the FSM.

Stevenson has been allotted one hour and twenty minutes to make
his presentation and also been designated to lead a discussion
session on the topic, ‘Structure of Election Administration’. Other
panel members will include Assistant Secretary Lenest Lanki, Ministry
of Internal and Social Welfare, Republic of the Marshall Islands
(RMI), Assistant Secretary General Kakee Pese Kaitu, Office of Prime
Minister, Government of Tuvalu and the Ben Reilly from the Institute
for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Switzerland.

The FSM will have an opportunity to get acquainted with many good
sources of electoral assistance programs to be presented in the
conference, Stevenson stated.

The three-day conference will address such topics as the role of
an independent electoral administrator, structure of electoral
administration, electoral system of the South Pacific, voters
registration, election networking, conducting cost-effective and
efficient election, voter education and information, and vote
counting and tabulation.

The conference is funded by these organizations: Institute for
Democracy and Electoral Assistance; The Commonwealth Secretariat; The
South Pacific Forum Secretariat; the New Zealand Chief Electoral
Officer, and The Australian Government Organizations, Stevenson
concluded.