ECOWAS ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION ENGAGES STAKEHOLDERS AS PART OF ITS OBSERVATION OF THE 17 MAY 2026 CABO VERDE LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission deployed an Election Observation Mission for the 17 May 2026 legislative elections in Cabo Verde, in furtherance of its commitment to support ECOWAS Member States conducting elections.

Led by H.E. Baboucarr-Blaise Ismaila JAGNE, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of The Gambia, the ECOWAS Mission undertook extensive consultations with key national stakeholders including electoral management bodies, political parties, civil society organisations, media actors, security institutions, and international partners accompanying the electoral process. The Head of Mission also paid a courtesy call on H.E. José Maria NEVES, President of the Republic of Cabo Verde.

The high-level delegation included Mr Abdou KOLLEY, Director of Cabinet and Chief of Staff to the President of the ECOWAS Commission; Dr Babatunde AFOLABI, Director of Political Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission, representing H.E. Dr Abdel-Fatau MUSAH, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Ambassador Berenice G. BANKOLE, representing the ECOWAS Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC); Senator Edwin Melvin SNOWE Jr. of the ECOWAS Parliament; Ms Kelly LOPES, Acting Resident Representative of the ECOWAS Commission in Cabo Verde; and senior technical officials from the Directorate of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) of the ECOWAS Commission.

The Mission’s engagements form part of ECOWAS’ broader preventive diplomacy architecture aimed at reinforcing institutional confidence, sustaining political dialogue and accompanying Member States in the consolidation of democratic governance, constitutional order and political stability. The consultations provided an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange views on the electoral climate, democratic participation, institutional reforms, political pluralism, campaign dynamics, and broader governance issues linked to the consolidation of the democratic culture in Cabo Verde.

In parallel with its broad consultations, the ECOWAS Mission deepened coordination with partner observer missions, notably the African Union (AU) Commission, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), within the framework of international cooperation and complementarity in support of democratic governance and electoral stability.

The exchanges reflected a broad convergence of assessments regarding Cabo Verde’s democratic maturity, institutional credibility and peaceful political environment, while underscoring the shared view that democratic consolidation remains a continuous process requiring sustained civic participation, political inclusion and institutional resilience.

Ahead of the elections, the ECOWAS Mission had deployed twenty long-term observers and eighty-five short-term observers across the archipelago to assess polling operations, electoral procedures, and the overall conduct of the process, in accordance with the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance (2001), regional democratic principles and international standards for election observation.

The ECOWAS Commission reposes confidence in the Cabo Verdean authorities, institutions, political actors and citizens, in their efforts towards preserving the country’s democratic tradition and practices. The Mission further encourages all stakeholders to maintain the constructive spirit of dialogue and responsibility, attributes that have long characterised Cabo Verde’s democratic trajectory.