Commonwealth Observer Group issues Final Report on 2012 elections in Ghana

London, 15 February 2013 ‒ Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has released the Final Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group, which observed the 7 December 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana.

In issuing the report, he said: "The Commonwealth Observer Group found that the elections were credible and highlighted the role of the Electoral Commission.”

“These were Ghana’s sixth elections since the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1992 and overall represented a positive development in the consolidation of democracy in the country. There are, though, still some areas for improvement, including the need to reduce tensions between parties and increasing the level of participation of women as candidates and elected representatives.”

In its Final Report, the Group offered a series of recommendations to help improve some technical aspects of the process and also the environment in which elections occur.

The Secretary-General stressed: “The Commonwealth stands ready to assist Ghana in further strengthening its democratic process.”

Note to Editors: The report was completed and signed by all members of the Commonwealth Observer Group prior to their departure from Ghana. It was presented to the Commonwealth Secretary-General by the Chair of the Group, Dr Pakalitha Mosisili, former Prime Minister of Lesotho. It has subsequently been distributed to the Government of Ghana, political parties, the Electoral Commission and all other Commonwealth governments.

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