GUINEA-BISSAU, 22 November 2025 (TATOLI) – The g7+ Election Observation Mission (EOM) took part on Saturday in a traditional coordination meeting organized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union Election Observation Mission.
Felix Piedade, g7+ Director of Operations, explained that the gathering served as the customary meeting among chiefs of international observer missions ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for November 23, 2025, in Guinea-Bissau.
“Today, each mission from the international organizations came together to share information about the observation work we will carry out during tomorrow’s presidential and parliamentary elections,” Piedade told Tatoli at Hotel Ceiba.
He emphasized that the main objective of the meeting was for each international observer organization to exchange what they have already done and what they plan to do during and after the elections.
“The concrete outcome of this meeting is the proposal to hold another follow-up meeting immediately after the elections. On Monday, all mission chiefs will reconvene to share preliminary results, so that together we can support the Government of Guinea-Bissau and the National Electoral Commission (CNE) in strengthening future processes,” he added.
According to Piedade, the general message from all missions was consistent: reports presented so far indicate that the electoral environment has been peaceful, with communities free to express their views.
“Reports from each mission also highlight that both government and opposition party leaders in Guinea-Bissau share the same commitment to ensuring peace and stability. They do not want the country to fall back into conflict but rather to move forward,” he underlined.
Christina Joanna Mitini, Chief of the g7+ Election Observation Mission, noted that her team reported on activities carried out since arriving in Guinea-Bissau.
“Our team has met with political parties and the National Electoral Commission, observed early voting by military and police personnel, and monitored the final stages of political campaigning,” Mitini said.
She also provided a brief introduction to g7+, established in 2010 in Timor-Leste as an intergovernmental organization bringing together 20 countries affected by fragility and conflict. Its mission is to help member states achieve peace, stability, and resilience.
The organization’s headquarters is in Dili, Timor-Leste, with regional offices opened in Lisbon in 2017 and New York in September 2024.
g7+ focuses on three priority areas: Advocacy for peacebuilding and state-building at the global level; Sharing experiences among member states through “fragile-to-fragile” cooperation, and Strengthening institutions through targeted programs.
Fragile-to-fragile cooperation emphasizes areas such as natural resource management, access to justice, peace and reconciliation, and election observation.
“The purpose of election observation missions is to ensure that elections in member states are conducted freely, fairly, peacefully, and democratically. These initiatives are also important opportunities to share experiences among countries, organize successful elections, and guarantee smooth transfers of power –ultimately contributing to peace, political stability, and sustainable national development,” Mitini concluded.
Meanwhile, Filipe Jacinto, Chief of the African Union Election Observation Mission, expressed gratitude to all participating missions and called for continued stability, transparency, and fairness in Guinea-Bissau’s general elections.
International observer organizations participating in the Guinea-Bissau elections include ECOWAS, the African Union EOM, g7+, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) EOM, and others.
Journalist: Arminda Fonseca
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
