Latest content: Promoting Democracy

A team of Commonwealth experts are in The Gambia to explore how the Commonwealth can support the country’s democratic and economic development, following its readmission as a member in February 2018.

The Commonwealth Observer Group deployed by the Secretary-General to observe Zimbabwe’s Harmonised Elections on 30 July has released its final report. They are the first elections the Commonwealth has observed in Zimbabwe in 16 years.

The ‘Ask The Expert’ series features the leading specialists who work at the Commonwealth Secretariat. In this edition, Yvonne Apea Mensah, Adviser and Head, Africa Section, Governance and Peace Directorate shares insights into how the Commonwealth is promoting democracy in member countries.

The Commonwealth Observer Group’s Report on Sierra Leone’s General Elections has been presented to the government, the National Electoral Commission, political parties and other stakeholders in the country.

Electoral officers in African Commonwealth countries have been learning how to improve the credibility, inclusiveness and transparency of the polling process.

Harare, 2 August.  Voting in Zimbabwe’s general elections had been largely peaceful and well-organised, according to Commonwealth observers on the ground.

The polls have opened in Zimbabwe in a harmonized election for president, parliament and local councils.  Commonwealth observers are monitoring every step of the process.

The Commonwealth Observer Group described Pakistan’s General Election as an ‘important milestone’ in the history of the nation, following two consecutive democratically-elected civilian governments completing their full terms.

The Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group, former Head of State of Nigeria, General Abdulsalami A. Abubakar, called on all registered voters in Pakistan to “come out en masse” to cast their votes today in the general elections.

The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, has expressed sadness and regret that there have been further incidents of election-related violence in Pakistan with loss of life and injury.

The Commonwealth’s team of observers has begun its assessment of the electoral process in Zimbabwe, leading up to general elections on 30 July.

Former Head of State of Nigeria, General Abdulsalami A. Abubakar, will lead a distinguished panel of experts, to be deployed in various regions in Pakistan to observe the electoral process.

The Secretary-General will deploy a Commonwealth group to observe the forthcoming general elections in Pakistan, scheduled for 25 July.

John Dramani Mahama, former president of Ghana, will lead a Commonwealth group to observe Zimbabwe’s general elections on 30 July. Zimbabwe is not a member of the Commonwealth.  It withdrew from the organisation in 2003 after it was suspended for being in breach of the Harare Declaration, which sets out the Commonwealth’s core principles and values.

Our thoughts are with the people of Zimbabwe. We are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of life and injuries caused by the attack, and wish all who have been hurt or affected in any way a speedy recovery.

Zimbabwe has applied to re-join the Commonwealth. The proposal came in a letter dated 9 May to Secretary-General Patricia Scotland from Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, has congratulated Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad following successful elections in Malaysia on 9 May.

Campaigners from Africa have called for more action to end ‘harmful practices’, such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM), which they say remain ‘shamefully widespread’.

New guidelines for Commonwealth election observation have been agreed and released at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) today - the first such update in 27 years.

As counting gets under way in earnest following Sierra Leone's presidential run-off on Saturday, Commonwealth observers have said the election was 'credible and transparent'.

Sierra Leoneans are today electing a new president in a run-off between Dr Samura Kamara of the All Peoples Congress (APC) and Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).

Following yesterday’s general election in Antigua and Barbuda, the chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group has said she is satisfied a democratic poll has been delivered.

The Commonwealth Observer Group arrived in the country on March 16 and have met with the Prime Minister, the electoral commission, representatives of political parties, civil society representatives, media organisations and domestic and international observer groups.

A former Foreign Minister from The Bahamas, Janet Bostwick, will lead a team of Commonwealth observers to Antigua and Barbuda for the country’s general election next week.

As the ballot count continues to determine the result of Sierra Leonne’s general election, the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) today held a press conference in the capital Freetown and released an interim statement.