The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appointed Ghana’s Ambassador Baba Kamara to lead an 80-member election observation mission to Guinea-Bissau ahead of the country’s general elections scheduled for 23 November 2025.
ECOWAS conveyed its decision through an official communication dated 14 November 2025 to dispatch the observation team to Guinea-Bissau from 19 to 26 November 2025. The mission represents the regional bloc’s continued commitment to promoting democratic governance in West Africa despite recent challenges to its authority in member states.
The 80-member team will comprise experts drawn from foreign ministries, electoral commissions, ECOWAS ambassadors, the Council of the Wise, ECOWAS Court of Justice, civil society organisations, media practitioners, and other electoral specialists across the sub-region.
Ambassador Kamara brings over four decades of diplomatic and security expertise to the role. The former National Security Advisor previously served as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria with concurrent accreditation to Cameroon, Chad, and São Tomé and Príncipe, and held the position of Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the ECOWAS Commission from 2009 to 2012.
Between 2013 and 2017, he served as Ghana’s National Security Advisor after working as Senior Presidential Advisor. His election observation experience includes serving as Deputy Head of the ECOWAS Observation Mission for Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Elections and participating in monitoring exercises in Togo and Côte d’Ivoire.
Currently, Ambassador Kamara holds the position of Special Envoy for Counterterrorism for ECOWAS, appointed in July 2023 by the Authority of Heads of State and Government. This dual role underscores the regional body’s trust in his diplomatic capabilities across multiple sensitive portfolios.
The deployment comes during a politically charged period in Guinea-Bissau. The ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM) recently met with the National Election Commission (CNE) led by Acting Chairman N’Pabi Cabi as part of stakeholder engagements ahead of the presidential and legislative elections.
The consultation reviewed the CNE’s operational readiness, logistical arrangements and institutional safeguards to ensure transparency, credibility and inclusiveness. The mission reaffirmed its mandate to observe the electoral process with neutrality and respect for national sovereignty.
Guinea-Bissau’s political landscape remains fragile. The country has experienced four successful coups and numerous failed attempts throughout its history, enduring more than three decades of military-influenced governance. Current tensions revolve around disputes over election scheduling and conflicting interpretations of presidential term limits under the semi-presidential system established in the 1993 constitution.
President Umaro Sissoco Embaló announced his intention to seek a second term, reversing an earlier statement from September 2024. The opposition, led by parliamentary speaker Domingos Simões Pereira, contests the election timeline and insists Embaló’s five-year term should have ended in February 2025.
Earlier this year, tensions escalated when President Embaló threatened to expel a joint ECOWAS and United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) mediation mission from the country. The mission’s hasty departure raised questions about ECOWAS’s influence in resolving political crises within member states, particularly following its struggles with military transitions in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
The deployment aligns with provisions of Article 14 of the 2001 Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and conforms with the commitment of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to deploy observation missions to member states organizing elections.
ECOWAS has consistently deployed election observers to Guinea-Bissau during previous electoral cycles. In June 2023, the regional bloc deployed 75 observers for legislative elections, drawing from similar institutional and civil society sources across West Africa.
The mission will assess multiple aspects of the electoral process, including voter registration procedures, campaign conduct, voting and counting processes, and the overall security environment. Observers will be deployed across polling stations throughout the country to provide comprehensive coverage of the electoral exercise.
Ambassador Kamara’s appointment signals ECOWAS’s determination to maintain its democratic oversight role despite facing unprecedented challenges to its regional authority. His extensive background in security and diplomacy positions him to navigate the complex political dynamics while upholding the mission’s commitment to impartiality and professional observation standards.
The 23 November elections will test Guinea-Bissau’s democratic institutions and ECOWAS’s capacity to facilitate credible electoral processes in politically volatile environments. The regional body’s reputation for promoting stability and democratic governance in West Africa faces scrutiny as member states increasingly question its effectiveness and legitimacy.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
