Commonwealth Observers, led by former Ghana President John Kufuor (centre), at a polling station in the tea growing district of Thyolo in southern Malawi May 19.

Commonwealth Observers, led by former Ghana President John Kufuor (centre), at a polling station in the tea growing district of Thyolo in southern Malawi May 19.

Malawi elections credible overall, encouraging step forward – Observer Group

16 July 2009

Secretary-General releases Final Report on 2009 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections in Malawi

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has today (16 July 2009) released the Final Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group which observed the 19 May elections in Malawi.

In issuing the report, he said: “The Commonwealth Observer Group found that the 2009 elections had been credible overall and a major step forward for Malawi. The Observer Group concluded that the elections met many of the standards for democratic elections to which Malawi has committed itself.”

Final Report

Click here

The Secretary-General went on to say: “The Group also highlighted that there remain some shortcomings which need to be addressed to ensure future elections fully meet benchmarks for democratic elections. Of particular concern for these elections was the lack of a level playing field for the campaign, particularly with regard to coverage by state media.”

The Secretary-General also stressed that “the Commonwealth Secretariat stands ready to assist the Government of Malawi as requested to help further strengthen the democratic process in the country.”

Note to Editors:

The Report was completed and signed by all members of the Commonwealth Observer Group prior to their departure from Malawi. It was presented to the Commonwealth Secretary-General by the Chair of the Group, John Kufuor, former President of Ghana. Before being made public, it has subsequently been distributed to the Government of Malawi, political leaders, the Malawi Electoral Commission and all other Commonwealth governments.

Did you find this useful?

  • 80%
  • 20%
  • 0%


Add your comment





  • 1. Jul 17 2009 12:58PM, Gamal Gousy wrote:

    I felt that the above document was very informative regarding the Malawi elections

  • 2. Jul 16 2009 4:55PM, craig stewart wrote:

    good report. however, why does the commonwealth take so long to issue their reports, when other observers issued their full reports much much earlier? its almost two months since the elections were concluded!!!!!