The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) announce the arrival, on 20th October 2025, of their Joint Election Observation Mission to the 25th October 2025 presidential election, in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. The purpose of the Joint Mission is to observe the electoral campaign, the voting process and counting on election day. The Mission will remain in Côte d’Ivoire until 29th October 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 is comprised of 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 His Excellency, Baboucar Blaise Jagne, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Gambia, and His Excellency 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 mandate of the Joint Mission is based on various ECOWAS and AU instruments related to democratic elections, as well as 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 electoral process of the presidential election.
Following its observations, the Joint Mission will deliver its preliminary statement on 27th October 2025, at the Noom Hotel at 2:00 pm, in Abidjan.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).