Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been appointed to chair a 14-member Commonwealth Observer Group for Bangladesh’s upcoming parliamentary elections and a nationwide referendum scheduled for February 12, 2026.
The appointment was announced in London on January 21, 2026, by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, following a formal request from the Bangladesh Election Commission.
The Observer Group will monitor Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections, which will be held concurrently with a referendum on the July Charter, a post-uprising reform framework proposing wide-ranging political and constitutional changes.
Announcing the deployment, Ms Botchwey described the mission as timely and significant for Bangladesh’s democratic process, stressing the importance of credible, transparent, and inclusive elections to democratic governance and long-term stability.
“Our presence in Bangladesh is guided not only by the responsibility to observe, but by a commitment to uphold the aspirations of the Bangladeshi people at this crucial moment in their democratic journey,” the Secretary-General said. She added that the mission would be conducted independently and impartially to help ensure the free expression of the people’s will.
Ms Botchwey also commended members of the Observer Group for their dedication, thanking them for committing the start of the year to supporting democratic processes in Bangladesh.
Mr Akufo-Addo will lead the mission alongside election experts and professionals drawn from across the Commonwealth, with expertise in politics, law, media, gender advocacy, and electoral administration. The mission will be supported by a Secretariat team led by Linford Andrews, Head and Adviser at the Commonwealth’s Electoral Support Section.
According to the Commonwealth, the Group’s mandate is to assess all aspects of the electoral and referendum processes and determine whether they are conducted in line with national laws and the democratic standards and principles to which Bangladesh has committed itself.
At the conclusion of the mission, a comprehensive report containing findings and recommendations will be submitted to the Secretary-General and shared with the Government of Bangladesh, the Election Commission, political parties, Commonwealth member states, and the public.
The Observer Group is made up of eminent personalities, including former ministers, electoral commissioners, legal scholars, civil society leaders, and media experts from Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Fiji, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and Zambia.
