Commonwealth election observers were in Ghana from 28 November to 14 December for the country’s 2024 general elections
A Commonwealth Observer Group was in Ghana to observe the country's general elections, in which over 19 million registered voters participated.
The Group was led by the former President of Botswana, HE Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, who arrived on 28 November and has been meeting with various stakeholders to assess the election environment and the state of preparedness ahead of the elections.
He was joined by 15 other experts from across all regions of the Commonwealth, bringing a diverse range of experience in electoral management, law, civil society, politics, human rights, 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.
In addition, Commonwealth Observer Groups abide by the Commonwealth’s Revised Guidelines for the Conduct of Election Observation in Member Countries, which were adopted at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in 2018.
These stipulate that:
- COGs are “independent, including of the Secretariat. Members of a COG are invited by the Secretary-General to be a part of the team, and each member is invited in their personal capacity as an eminent Commonwealth citizen, not as a representative of any member country, government or political group”.
More information on the role and mandate of observers can be found in the Commonwealth Handbook on Election Observation.
Interim Press Conference
The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group to Ghana's general elections 2024, former President of Botswana HE Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, held a press conference on 09 December in Accra announcing the group's preliminary statement.
Please email Temitope Kalejaiye, Public Relations and Engagement Officer, at [email protected] for inquiries about the group's observation.
Latest news
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Interim statement by the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) Ghana
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Commonwealth observers laud the orderliness of Ghana’s 2024 general elections
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Commonwealth observer team members witness first ballots being cast
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Multimedia
See photos from Ghana Elections 2024 in our Flickr gallery
Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group
Chairperson: HE Mokgweetsi Masisi, former President of Botswana
Commonwealth Observer Group members, in alphabetical order by country name, are:
- Hon Professor Matthew Neuhaus, Former Australian Ambassador and Honorary Professor, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Professor Effange Dorothy Limunga Njeuma, Member of the Electoral Board, Elections, Cameroon
- Samboujang Njie, Chief Electoral Officer, Independent Electoral Commission of Gambia
- Lady Avril Anande Trotman-Joseph, Former Attorney General and Chairperson, Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies, Grenada
- Justice Amraphael Mbogholi Msagha, Retired Judge, Court of Appeal of Kenya
- Ambassador Macharia Kamau, Former Principal Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kenya
- Dr Khabele Matlosa, Director, Strategic Institute for Research and Dialogue, Lesotho
- Grace Jerry, Executive Director, Inclusive Friends Association, Nigeria
- Kim Allen, Former Chairperson, Commonwealth Youth Council, Papua New Guinea
- Jacqueline Muhongayire, Former Minister of East African Community and Senator, Rwanda
- Dr Fatmatta B. Taqi, Gender Expert and Educationist, Sierra Leone
- Janet Love, Vice Chairperson, Electoral Commission of South Africa
- Deepanjalie Abeywardana, Deputy Director – Verité Media and Politics, Sri Lanka
- Paul O’Grady, International Elections Expert, United Kingdom
- Maureen Nkandu, Former Under-Secretary-General, Public Relations and Engagement, Organisation of Southern Cooperation, Zambia
Media contact
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Temitope Kalejaiye, Public Relations and Engagement Officer, Commonwealth Secretariat
- M: +233548134343 | Email
