Sri Lanka presidential election: International observers arrive to monitor polling

Colombo, Sep 20 (PTI) A group of election observers from the European Union and the Commonwealth have arrived in Sri Lanka to monitor the presidential election on Saturday.

A total of 116 representatives from various international election observation organisations have arrived in Sri Lanka to monitor the upcoming presidential election, the Newsfirst news portal reported on Friday.

Among the observers, 78 are from the European Union (EU), marking a substantial contingent from the EU election observation mission.

The EU has previously done election monitoring in Sri Lanka six times with the last being at the presidential election of 2019.

Additionally, 22 representatives from the Commonwealth have also arrived to participate in the monitoring activities.

The Asian Election Observation Network has sent 9 observers, while 7 representatives from South Asian regional countries have joined the election monitoring process this year, following an invitation from the Election Commission.

These international observers have been deployed across twenty-five districts to carry out their monitoring duties.

Commonwealth Observer Group Chairperson Danny Faure, who is following the process from Colombo, has also been observing pre-poll arrangements and has scouted a number of polling stations to which he will return on election day.

He will be at the St Thomas Prep School station to observe as the first votes are cast, the report added.

"We recognise the significance of this election because Sri Lankans have been given the first opportunity to vote since the Aragalaya movement in 2022. Our presence here demonstrates the Commonwealth’s commitment to democratic values and principles," he said.

"We are here because democracy is one of the Commonwealth's cornerstones, and the foundation for vibrant, healthy, and prosperous societies, and most importantly we are here for the People of Sri Lanka. This is the Commonwealth's 200th election observation, and the sixth in Sri Lanka since 2005, demonstrating the Commonwealth’s systematic effort to strengthen the process, culture, and institutions of democracy across its member countries,” he added.

The National Election Commission has assured that all necessary measures have been taken to ensure the safety and security of the observers, with local police stations being duly informed of their presence and responsibilities.

A total of 13,421 polling centres have been set up across the country for over 17 million registered voters and they will choose among 38 presidential candidates, including the incumbent, President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The 38 presidential candidates represent the largest ever such pool in the history of the country.

President Wickremesinghe, the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and the Marxist JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake are the front runners.

The voters are eligible to vote at the election for a direct vote to elect an executive president for a 5-year term. This will be the first election since the worst economic crisis in the country in 73 years.

Polling will take place between 7 am to 5 pm on Saturday at over 13,400 polling stations.

The President of Sri Lanka is elected using a preferential voting system, whereby voters can rank up to three candidates in order of preference.

If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the total valid votes in the first count, all candidates except the top two are eliminated, and the candidate with the most overall votes in the second round of counting is then declared the winner. PTI