Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2003
| 18th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 5–8 December 2003 |
| Venue(s) | Aso Rock |
| Cities |
 Abuja, Nigeria
|
| Participants | 51 (of 54 members) |
| Heads of State or Government | 38 |
| Chair |
Olusegun Obasanjo (President) |
| Follows | 2002 |
| Precedes | 2005 |
| Key points | |
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2003 was the eighteenth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in Abuja, Nigeria, between 5 December and 8 December 2003, and hosted by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The Zimbabwean issue was dominant, leading to one of the highest media profiles for a CHOGM in recent times. The dispute over Zimbabwe's suspension led to a dispute over the re-election of Secretary-General Don McKinnon, and, before the end of the meeting, Robert Mugabe's announcement that Zimbabwe was withdrawing from the Commonwealth. The Aso Rock Declaration reaffirmed the Harare Declaration of 1991 and set the 'promotion of democracy and development' as the organisation's priorities.
The meeting was attended by representatives of fifty-one countries out of the Commonwealth's fifty-four members (suspended members Zimbabwe and Pakistan were not invited, whilst Antigua and Barbuda sent no representative). Thirty-eight were represented by their Head of State or Head of Government.
Rather predictably, but despite attempts to the contrary, the issue of Zimbabwe dominated. Some African members had spoken out against what they saw as the 'undemocratic' suspension of Zimbabwe, but were criticised for not respecting the principle of consensus, under which dissenting voices to an issue that had already been decided and voting on are usually only heard privately. Olusegun Obasanjo was seen to have acquitted himself well in the Commonwealth's position of Chairperson-in-Office in the manner in which he addressed this issue.
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