Former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo has been appointed to lead an international Commonwealth Observer Group that will monitor Bangladesh’s upcoming parliamentary elections and a nationwide referendum scheduled for February.
The appointment was announced in London by Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey following an invitation from the Bangladesh Election Commission.
The 14-member observer mission will oversee Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections, which will be held alongside a referendum on the proposed July Charter, a framework aimed at introducing political and constitutional reforms.
The Commonwealth said the group would assess the electoral process against international democratic standards, with a focus on transparency, inclusiveness and credibility.
Mr Akufo-Addo, who served as Ghana’s president from 2017 to 2025, will lead a team comprising former ministers, election officials, legal experts, civil society representatives and media professionals drawn from across the Commonwealth.
Observers will include countries from Canada, South Africa, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Uganda.
The group is expected to meet political parties, civil society organisations and election officials, and will issue an interim statement after polling day, followed by a final report.
