The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) announce the arrival, on 2^nd October 2025, of their Joint Election Observation Mission for the 25 October 2025 presidential election in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. The mission's aim is to observe the electoral campaign, the voting process, and the counting on election day. The Mission will remain in Côte d’Ivoire until 2^nd November 2025.

At the invitation of the Ivorian authorities, the President of ECOWAS, H.E. Omar Alieu Touray, and the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, have deployed a Joint Election Observation Mission to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. The Joint Mission comprises 251 Short-Term Observers, including 187 from ECOWAS and 66 from the AU, representing the geographic and institutional diversity of the continent. The observers are drawn from 28 African countries, comprising experts in election administration, gender, conflict management, security, legal and constitutional issues, and the media.

The Joint Mission is led by H.E. Professor Oluyemi Oluleki Osinbajo, Former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with the support of H.E. Baboucar Blaise Jagne, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Gambia, and H.E. Mahamat Saleh Annadif, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chad. The mission is further strengthened by the presence of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah; the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye; the Chair of the AU Panel of the Wise, Professor Babacar Kanté; and Ambassador Babacar Carlos Mbaye, member of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise.

The Joint Mission's mandate is based on various ECOWAS and AU instruments related to democratic elections and international principles governing election observation and monitoring missions.

As part of its mandate, the mission will meet with Ivorian authorities, political stakeholders, electoral management bodies, and various parties and candidates involved in the presidential election process.

Following its observations, the Joint Mission will deliver its preliminary statement on 27^th October 2025, at the Noom Hotel at 2:00 pm, in Abidjan. 

                  Done at Abidjan, 20^th October 2025

 

For the Mission,

H.E. Professor Oluyemi Oluleki Osinbajo

Head of Mission.

  

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Serigne Mamadou Ka, Acting Head of Electoral Assistance Division, Directorate of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, ECOWAS Commission

Email: ska@ecowas.int

Ms. Karine Kakasi Siaba, Acting Coordinator, Democracy and Elections Unit
Email: KakasiK@africanunion.org

Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department| African Union Commission

For media-related inquiries, please contact:

Mr. Harouna Hamidou Mayaki

Email: hmayaki@ecowas.int  

Directorate of Communication, ECOWAS Commission

Mr. Paschal Chem-Langhee, Communications Coordinator  a.i.

Email: chem-langheep@africanunion.org

Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department I African Union Commission

 

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