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, both scheduled for February 12, 2026.
The appointment was announced in London on January 21, 2026, by Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, following an official request from the Bangladesh Election Commission.
The Observer Group will monitor Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections, which will take place alongside a referendum on the July Charter. This post-uprising reform framework proposes wide-ranging political and constitutional changes.
In announcing the deployment, Ms. Botchwey described the mission as both timely and significant for Bangladesh’s democratic journey.
She emphasised that credible, transparent, and inclusive elections are vital to democratic governance and long-term stability, adding that the Commonwealth’s engagement goes beyond routine election observation.
“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, adding that the mission would be conducted independently and impartially to help ensure the free expression of the people’s will.
She also commended members of the Observer Group for their dedication, expressing gratitude to the team for committing the start of the year to supporting democratic processes in Bangladesh.
Mr Akufo-Addo will chair the Observer Group and will be joined by election specialists and professionals drawn from across the Commonwealth, with expertise spanning 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.
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 end of the mission, a comprehensive report detailing findings and recommendations will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General and shared with the Government of Bangladesh, the Election Commission, political parties, Commonwealth member states and the public.
The Observer Group comprises 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.
