Latest content: Promoting Democracy

Statements by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC:

Blog by Martin Raiser and Suresh Yadav

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has commended the government, civil society, stakeholders and people of Ghana for the orderly conduct of the general election in its interim statement.

The COG also praised the Vice President of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia, for the exemplary statesmanship displayed in his early concession speech.

On duty across Ghana, Commonwealth observers watched as the elections got off to a calm, peaceful and early start. Polling stations in most places observed by the group opened at 7am, with the people of Ghana casting their ballots for a president and members of parliament.

A Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) was deployed to Gabon to observe the Constitutional Referendum which was held in November 2024. At the end of their mission, they offered some reflections on the process.

As daylight broke over polling stations for Sri Lanka's presidential election in September, observers from across the Commonwealth were also present - marking its 200th election observation mission. They were there to assess the electoral process and make recommendations that, if implemented, can help foster public confidence, bolster electoral integrity and strengthen democratic institutions.

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has released its final report on Sri Lanka's September 2024 presidential election. The Sri Lankan government officially received the report following its parliamentary election on November 14.

Commonwealth election observers will be in Ghana from 28 November to 14 December for the country’s 2024 general elections

The Commonwealth Observer Group's (COG)final report on the 2023 Zimbabwe elections praised voters for their high turnout and commitment to peace. The report also noted that the pre-election period had a number of deficiencies, each of which was enough to affect the overall credibility, transparency and inclusivity of the election.

The Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group in Mozambique, H.E. Dr. Kenny Anthony, has on behalf of the Group, condemned the killing of Elvino Dias, the lawyer representing Mozambican politician Venâncio Mondlane and Paulo Guambe an official from the PODEMOS party.

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), which has been in Mozambique for the 9 October polls, has today issued an interim statement calling for restraint as the country awaits election results.

Commonwealth observers have been deployed across Mozambique, as voters elect a new president, parliamentarians, and provincial representatives.

The 65th Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) met in New York yesterday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss developments in member states.

The 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election, held on September 21, has been deemed peaceful by the Commonwealth Observer Group, but it noted that some voters and polling staff did not appear to fully understand the preferential system of voting.  

Commonwealth observers, working across various teams, have reported to their posts across all nine provinces in Sri Lanka, ahead of the country's presidential election on 21 September 2024. 

A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has arrived in Colombo for Sri Lanka's presidential election, marking the Commonwealth's 200th election observation since it began observing in the 1980s.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana (CMGG) met on Tuesday, 3 September 2024, to discuss recent developments in the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.

Applications are now open for citizens of Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean to join the Commonwealth Caribbean Cyber Experts Fellowship.

Heads of anti-corruption agencies in the Commonwealth Caribbean concluded their annual conference in Nassau, The Bahamas, last week with a unanimous pledge to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against corruption.

A team from the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit (HRU) conducted a three-day capacity-building workshop in partnership with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) and the Government of Fiji.

The 14th Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa concluded on Friday 10 May 2024 in Accra, Ghana with a unanimous adoption of a communiqué outlining a shared approach to addressing the most pressing challenges posed by corruption.