A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) will be in Antigua and Barbuda to observe the country’s 2026 General Elections.
The Group is led by Hon. Dr Pelonomi Venson, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Botswana and joined by three other experts from across the Commonwealth, bringing experience in electoral management, politics, civil society and the media.
Commonwealth Observer Groups (COGs)
The Commonwealth Secretariat is one of the original signatories to the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.
Commonwealth Observer Groups also adhere to the Commonwealth Revised Guidelines for the Conduct of Election Observation in Member Countries, adopted at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in 2018.
These stipulate that:
- COGs are independent, including of the Secretariat. Members are invited by the Secretary-General and serve in their personal capacity as eminent Commonwealth citizens, not as representatives of any government or political group.
Further information on the role and mandate of observers is available in the Commonwealth Handbook on Election Observation.
Interim press conference
The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group to Antigua and Barbuda’s 2026 General Elections, Hon. Dr Pelonomi Venson, will hold an interim press conference during the mission. Details will be shared in due course.
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Multimedia
Photos and videos from the Antigua and Barbuda General Elections 2026 will be available in the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Flickr gallery.
Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group
Chairperson: Hon. Dr Pelonomi Venson, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Botswana
Members (in alphabetical order by country):
- Ms Candia Dames, Executive Editor, The Nassau Guardian, The Bahamas
- Mr Ian Michael Anthony, Former Chief Elections Officer, Dominica
- Mr Aiman Rasheed, Deputy Program Director, International Republican Institute, Maldives
