Baroness Amos to lead Commonwealth Observers for Ghana elections

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to the forthcoming Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana will be led by Baroness Valerie Amos, former leader of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma announced on 28 November 2008.

The COG for the elections, which are scheduled to take place on 7 December 2008, is composed of seven persons.

The Observers will be in Ghana from 29 November to 15 December 2008.

Announcing the composition of the COG, Mr Sharma said that the mandate of the Group is to “determine in its own judgement whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which Ghana has committed itself, with reference to national election-related legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and other international commitments.”

The Secretary-General added: “This is a particularly important election for Ghana. With President Kufuor stepping down after serving his two terms, there will be a new elected leader in Ghana, regardless of the outcome of the election. The Commonwealth looks forward to a peaceful and orderly election process, in which all parties have the opportunity to participate fully.”

He said that the country's development in recent years has been made possible because of the political stability the country enjoys, and that, as such, it is essential that this is maintained and improved.

The forthcoming election will be the fifth since Ghana’s return to multiparty democracy in 1992.

The COG has been constituted at the invitation of the Electoral Commission of Ghana. It follows an Assessment Mission in October 2008.

The Assessment Mission established that there exists broad support from political parties and civil society for the presence of Commonwealth Observers. The Mission also concluded that there will be full freedom of movement for Observers, and that they will enjoy access to all stages of the process - which is vital if they are to make judgements on its credibility.

The COG will be supported by a staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by Ayodele Oke, Head of the Africa Section in the Political Affairs Division.

The full composition of the COG is:

The Observer Group must act impartially and independently, and conduct itself according to the standards expressed in the International Declaration of Principles to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.

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