-- The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat announced Friday that it will send a mission to observe the 2016 election in Nauru on July 9.

The observer mission comes in response to an invitation from Nauru's Electoral Commission and the government of Nauru, the Suva-based secretariat said in a statement.

"The Pacific Islands Forum is committed to ensuring free, safe and credible elections across the region," said Dame Meg Taylor, secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

"The observation of best practice governance principles is fundamental to the Pacific Islands Forum, and our vision under the Framework for Pacific Regionalism for a free, productive, prosperous and secure region. Already this year we have sent electoral observer missions to Vanuatu and Samoa and we are pleased to do the same for Nauru," she said.

To build a full picture of the electoral process, the mission, whose full team is being finalized, is expected to look at the pre-election environment, polling, counting and announcement of official results.

source : xinhua