Latest content: Promoting Democracy

Millions of Commonwealth citizens will benefit from improved people-centred access to justice as law ministers concluded their meeting in Zanzibar today with a package of new measures and pledges.

Ground-breaking government initiatives from Kenya and Rwanda have won the inaugural Commonwealth Access to Justice Innovation Awards for improving access to legal services for vulnerable people.

The United Republic of Tanzania is all set to welcome ministers and attorneys-general to the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting, which will open in Zanzibar on 4 March 2024.

Judges in Papua New Guinea have commended a new Commonwealth training course aimed at upskilling them to handle cybercrime cases and make the internet safer for their citizens.

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) released a statement on its preliminary findings at a press conference in Islamabad, while awaiting the release of complete results from the Electoral Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The observers called for patience and restraint as the results process is finalised.

The polls have opened in Pakistan’s general elections, with the Commonwealth observing every step of the electoral process.

The Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has condemned the recent fatal attacks in Pakistan, in the run-up to the general elections.

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.