Commonwealth observer group praises peaceful polls

Former Ghanaian President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo said he felt honoured to chair the Commonwealth Observer Group for Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections and the referendum on the July Charter, describing the vote as a watershed moment in the country’s history.

Delivering the interim statement in Dhaka on Saturday, Akufo-Addo said the group’s presence reaffirmed the Commonwealth’s support for the people and government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and its democratic process.

He commended the people of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Election Commission including election officials, law enforcement agencies and the interim government for conducting the parliamentary elections and referendum in a peaceful and orderly manner.

Akufo-Addo said the Commonwealth Observer Group operates as an independent body and will submit recommendations to the Commonwealth Secretary-General. He said the group’s mandate includes providing an informed and impartial assessment of the entire electoral process in line with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the 2018 Revised Guidelines on Commonwealth Election Observation.

He noted that the Commonwealth deployed the observer group at the invitation of the Chief Election Commissioner of Bangladesh. The Secretary-General constituted the group, which includes Akufo-Addo and 12 experts drawn from politics, law, media, gender and election administration across several Commonwealth regions.

Akufo-Addo said the Commonwealth Secretariat announced the deployment on 21 January 2026, and the observer group arrived in Dhaka on 4 February after a preparatory team had been in the country since 30 January.

He also highlighted the long-standing relationship between Bangladesh and the Commonwealth, noting that the organisation admitted Bangladesh as its 34th member on 18 April 1972 following its independence in December 1971.

Akufo-Addo said this marks the fourth time a Commonwealth Observer Group has deployed to Bangladesh. He added that the group will submit its final report, containing detailed findings and recommendations, to the Secretary-General and share it with the government of Bangladesh, the Election Commission and other key national stakeholders before making it public.