Latest content: Promoting Democracy

The group of eminent experts from across the Commonwealth have arrived in Pakistan and will be present in the country throughout the electoral process. As the country goes to the polls on 8 February 2024, 128 million people have the right to vote in Pakistan.  

A Commonwealth team, led by former Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, will be deployed to Pakistan to observe the general elections scheduled for 8 February 2024. At the request of the Election Commission of Pakistan, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a 13-member Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) is due to arrive in Islamabad on 1 February and will remain in the country until the electoral process is completed.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, called on all political and civic leaders in Bangladesh to contribute to a conducive environment for citizens to peacefully exercise their right to vote.  

Former Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Hon Bruce Golding, will lead a ten-person Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) assigned to observe the Bangladesh general elections, to be held on 7 January 2024. Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, following an invitation from the Bangladesh Election Commission, appointed the cross-functional team of experts.

Election management professionals in African nations have been equipped with the skills to strengthen the credibility, transparency and inclusiveness of electoral processes.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana (CMGG) met on Monday, 11 December 2023, to discuss recent developments in the border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela. 

At a recent workshop in South Africa, an initial draft of the Commonwealth Military Justice Principles was prepared by judges, legal experts, academics, and military professionals.

The Commonwealth Group observing the presidential run-off election in Maldives has praised the country’s Elections Commission for implementing some of the recommendations it made from the first round of voting.

The Commonwealth Observer Group is present as Maldivians, both at home and in the diaspora, vote for a second time to elect their President after none of the candidates won the required percent of the vote in the first round held on 9 September.

Commonwealth election observers will be deployed to the Maldives for the second round of voting in the 2023 Presidential Election. Voters will be returning to the polls after none of the candidates secured more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round held on 9 September.

Today in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the 23rd Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) brought together foreign affairs ministers and distinguished representatives from member states to discuss critical global challenges and chart a course for a more interconnected and resilient future.

The 63rd Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) met in New York this week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss developments in member states.

Maldivians eagerly stood in line to vote at 574 polling stations across 566 islands in the country’s fourth presidential elections since the country's turn to a democratic path in 2008.

The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group, H.E. Danny Faure, has said that the presence of Commonwealth observers at the 2023 Presidential Election in Maldives “affirms the Commonwealth’s continuing solidarity with the people of Maldives”.

Assessment of voting process is that it was well conducted and peaceful, however, the group raised a number of issues that could impact on the credibility, transparency and inclusivity of the process

Former President of the Republic of Seychelles, H.E. Danny Faure, will lead a team of Commonwealth election observers to the Republic of Maldives, which will be holding a presidential election on 9 September 2023.

The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group has called on all Zimbabwean political parties and their supporters to uphold standards for credible, inclusive and transparent elections.

On 23 August 2023, Zimbabweans will vote to elect councillors, members of parliament, and a president. Ambassador Amina Chawahir Mohamed, former Cabinet Secretary for Education and Foreign Affairs of Kenya, will lead a team of Commonwealth election observers to Zimbabwe for the upcoming election.

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to Kenya has today released its final report on the 2022 general elections, which saw William Ruto elected as the country’s fifth president.

The Commonwealth Secretariat has launched a set of new foundational online courses designed to equip law enforcement officials, prosecutors and judicial officials with the skills necessary to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate over cybercrime cases involving electronic evidence.

The Commonwealth Observer Group in Sierra Leone has welcomed the large turn-out of voters for the country’s multi-tier elections held on 24th June, and found that polling day was generally peaceful, despite heightened tensions during the week.

Eager voters lined the streets early on Saturday morning, at more than 11,800 polling stations across Sierra Leone, to have their say in who will represent them in the country’s local councils, parliament and presidential office.

The Commonwealth Observer Group has launched election observation activities in Sierra Leone with a call for peaceful elections that will reflect the will of the people.