PRAIA, Cabo Verde — The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is preparing to deploy an election observation mission to Cabo Verde ahead of the country’s November 15, 2026 presidential election.

Cabo Verde’s National Electoral Commission (CNE) said the new ECOWAS Resident Representative, Ambassador João Ribeiro Butiam Có, discussed the planned mission during a meeting with electoral authorities on September 29. The mission is expected to comprise around 50 to 60 observers.

According to the CNE, an initial group of observers is expected to arrive in Cabo Verde toward the end of October, while a second team would travel to the country shortly before election day for short-term observation.

The meeting also covered preparations for the presidential election, including automatic voter registration and continuing civic and electoral education. The CNE presented ECOWAS officials with an update on the preparations currently under way.

The presidential election is scheduled for November 15, with the CNE having recently published the final list of admitted candidacies.