Latest content: Promoting Democracy

Voting in Mozambique’s general elections was largely peaceful but with allegations of irregularities, according to the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG).

The leader of the Commonwealth team observing elections in Mozambique has condemned the killing of a man who headed a local observer group.

The Commonwealth will send a team to observe elections in Mozambique, which will take place on 15 October.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General has welcomed the release of Maurice Kamto, leader of the Mouvement pour la Rennaissance du Cameroun (MRC), and 102 members of the party on 4 October 2019.

Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, has welcomed an address by Paul Biya, the President of Cameroon, in which he launched a national dialogue aimed at addressing the current crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions of his country.

Following a request made by the Government of Dominica jointly to the CARICOM Secretariat (CARICOM), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS), to assist in the country’s efforts with various aspects of electoral reform, the three organisations have agreed to partner in a Joint Special Mission to Dominica.

A project to enhance Commonwealth countries’ capacity in election cybersecurity is underway. A Commonwealth Guide on Election Cybersecurity is being developed to support Election Management Bodies (EMBs) to manage risks associated with the use of technologies in elections.

The Commonwealth observer group deployed to observe Maldives’ 2019 parliamentary elections has released its final report today. These were the first elections that a Commonwealth group observed since Maldives withdrew its membership in 2016.

The final report of the Commonwealth Observer Group to the Solomon Islands Nation General Election 2019 has been presented to the government, electoral commission and other stakeholders.

In its final report, the Commonwealth group observing Nigeria’s general elections of 23 February has concluded that the process was transparent and the result was credible.

A Commonwealth toolkit of journalistic techniques made a significant contribution to fair and balanced reporting of the general election in Malawi that took place last month.  That’s the conclusion of a monitoring report released by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Malawi).  The report was presented to journalists at a seminar in Blantyre to evaluate the Commonwealth’s media project for the election.

The Malawi election result shows women are gaining ground in the country’s politics. This month’s tripartite elections saw female candidates increase their share of parliamentary seats from 16 per cent to 23 per cent.

As Malawians await the results of their general elections, the Commonwealth group observing the polls has commended the country for ensuring a peaceful electoral process to date

As dawn broke, people queued to exercise their democratic right to choose a president, members of parliament and local councillors

Malawians will go to the polls on 21 May to vote for a president, members of national assemblies and local councillors in the country’s tripartite elections. 

A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) deployed to observe a referendum in Belize has described the vote as “credible, transparent and inclusive”.

Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has re-deployed a Commonwealth Observer Group to observe the referendum in Belize. The referendum was originally scheduled for 10 April, but subsequently postponed to 8 May 2019.

A Commonwealth group has been appointed to observe the 2019 Malawi Tripartite elections. It will be led by Thabo Mbeki, the second post-Apartheid South African President.

A Commonwealth Observer Group deployed to Belize to monitor a nationwide referendum has returned home after the vote was suspended.

A Commonwealth group observing Maldives’ 2019 parliamentary election has concluded the voting and counting process on election day was “peaceful and well organised”.

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) in Honiara has commended the people of the Solomon Islands for “participating peacefully and in high numbers in their national general election”.

A Commonwealth group is observing Maldives’ 2019 parliamentary elections as the nation elects 87 members to parliament for the next five years. The former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, is chairing the group of eight Commonwealth observers.

Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has deployed a Commonwealth Observer Group to observe the referendum in Belize proposed for 10 April. The Observer Group is led by Hubert A Ingraham, former Prime Minister of The Bahamas, and is composed of ten specialists from across the Commonwealth with backgrounds in election management, law, gender, civil society, media, and politics.

A Commonwealth Observer Group is in Maldives to witness the country’s 11th parliamentary election, scheduled for 6 April.

A Commonwealth Observer Group is currently in Honiara ahead next week’s National General Election in the Solomon Islands. Over the past few days the Group has been meeting with key stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organisations, women’s groups and youth representatives as well as the Election Commission.