(Commonwealth)_ The Commonwealth is sending an Observer Group to monitor Guyana‘s 1 September 2025 regional and general elections. The mission will take place between 25 August and 7 September, with a pre-electoral environment and a post-electoral period.
The scheme is being introduced in a Commonwealth anniversary year since 2025 would also be the 45th anniversary of the association observer missions’ elections. The Commonwealth has pioneered member states’ democratisation since it first used the scheme in 1980. The observer missions have been a flagship scheme of the Commonwealth’s democracy consolidation, good governance, and transparency programmes for four decades.
Leadership of the Observer Group
The Observer Group’s leadership remains in the capable hands of Mrs Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, an experienced diplomat and former Tongan Cabinet Minister. She will lead the mission in observing the Guyana election process in a neutral manner. The observers have experience in law, politics, election administration, diplomacy, human rights, media, and gender activism. Collectively, as a team, they are upholding the Commonwealth vow of undertaking professional and credible observation of the elections.
Composition of Observer Group
They have recruited 10 highly experienced individuals from all over the Commonwealth countries. They possess skills in the election process, peacebuilding, social media, and human rights campaigning to provide the mission with access to a valuable reservoir of experience. They include former parliamentarians, senior academics, civil society campaigners, media advisers, and election officials.
The mandate shows that the Commonwealth is willing to allow election observation by including both government and non-government sources. The team that includes Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, the Pacific, and Europe is at least as diverse as the Commonwealth.
Objectives of the Mission
The Observer Group’s overall mandate is to provide a dispassionate and objective analysis of the Guyanese electoral process. The mission would be observing the overall behaviour of the elections, the law, the voting, the conduct of the media, women and minority participation, as well as the campaign atmosphere.
The observers will also assess whether the conduct of the election is public international best practice in democratic elections and by domestic Guyanese law. The observers are to earn the trust of the public, be transparent, and lend credibility to the results. The mission is part of the general role of the Commonwealth in assisting member states in building democratic institutions and conducting peaceful and inclusive elections.
Processing and Reporting
During their Guyana mission, the observers will interact with a representative cross-section of these actors, including election administration, the judiciary, security forces, media representatives, political parties, and civil society. As a result of interacting with the different constituencies, the Observer Group will be well-placed to form a general balanced judgement regarding the electoral climate.
Observers will be stationed around the nation on the day of the poll to monitor polling stations, vote procedures, and counting. The observers will compile their observations into reports, which they will then submit to the Commonwealth Secretary-General and publish for public distribution. Recommendation of reports is in the spirit of enhancing Guyana’s electoral process.
Legacy of Election Observation by the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth has witnessed over 160 elections in around 40 countries since 1980. The mission has established a reputation as professional and impartial, and its reports have helped some of the member states standardise electoral law, enhance transparency, and contribute to democratic practice.The 2025 Guyana mission is therefore a precedent in a tradition of aid to member states in the form of promotion of ideas of free and fair elections. In the particular context of Guyana, the missioning of the Observer Group signals the significance of accountability and transparency in a politically delicate phase of the nation’s democratic process.
