18 October 2020 Presidential Election in Guinea: ECOWAS officially deploys its Short-Term Election Observation Mission to Conakry
16 Oct, 2020| Conakry, 16 October 2020. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) officially deployed, on Friday 16 October 2020 in Conakry, its short-term election observation mission for the 18 October 2020 presidential election in the Republic of Guinea. The election observation mission, to be headed by H.E. Jose Maria Neves, former Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, falls within the ambit of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which stipulates that the regional organisation shall assist Member States in the conduct of elections.
 The mission comprises 116 Observers including 16 Long-Term Observers (LTOs) and 100 Short-Term Observers (STOs) made up of representatives of Ambassadors accredited to ECOWAS, the ECOWAS Parliament, the Community Court of Justice, Electoral Commissions, Civil Society Organisations, the Media and the region’s electoral experts trained at the Kofi Annan Centre in Accra, Ghana. In carrying out his mandate, the head of the ECOWAS election mission will be supported by a team including General Francis Béhanzin, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Mario Gomes Fernandes, ECOWAS Resident Representative to Guinea, Dr Remi Ajibewa, Director of Political Affairs, Francis Oke, Head of Electoral Assistance Division and several other technical staff of the ECOWAS Commission. 
The observers will be deployed in the eight regions of Guinea to observe and monitor all pre-election, election and post-election activities, and assess the conduct of the elections. The assessment will focus in particular on the regularity, transparency, fairness and proper conduct of the presidential election. At the completion of the election, the ECOWAS Mission will express its opinion and, if necessary, make recommendations to the various stakeholders in the electoral process. A preliminary statement by the head of the mission, H.E. Jose Maria Neves, is expected on Monday 19 October 2020. A dozen candidates are standing in the two-round election. The Guinean president is elected by a two-round majority in a single-member constituency for a six-year term, renewable only once. ECOWAS called on candidates, political party leaders as well as their members and supporters to ensure that the elections take place in peace, tranquillity, serenity and national cohesion. |
