Commonwealth election observers to be in Gabon from 05 to 18 April for the country’s 2025 presidential election.
A Commonwealth Observer Group is in Gabon to observe the country's forthcoming presidential elections scheduled for 12 April.
The Group is led by the former President of Seychelles, HE Danny Faure who arrived on 05 April and has been meeting with various stakeholders to assess the election environment and the state of preparedness ahead of the elections.
He is joined by 7 other experts from across 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 Gabon’s presidential elections 2025, former President of Seychelles HE Danny Faure, will hold a press conference on 14 April in Libreville. Email [email protected] to be included in our media alerts.
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Multimedia
Photos from Gabon Presidential Election 2025 will be in our flicker gallery.
Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group
Chairperson: HE Danny Faure, former President of Seychelles
Commonwealth Observer Group members, in alphabetical order by country name, are:
- Ms Lisa LaFlamme, Media expert, Canada
- Ms Francine Baron, Former Foreign Minister, Dominica
- Mr Joshua Opey, Chairperson, Commonwealth Youth Council, Ghana
- Mr Evans Odhiambo Ogada, Advocate & law lecturer, Kenya
- Mrs Gaudence Mushimiyimana, Disability right activist, Rwanda
- Mr Mosotho Simon Moepya, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa
- Amantha Perera - Director – Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma, Asia Pacific, Sri Lanka
Media contact
-
Temitope Kalejaiye, Public Relations and Engagement Officer, Commonwealth Secretariat
- M: +44 7436 032707 | Email
Social media
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