Commonwealth to deploy team to observe Presidential elections

COLOMBO (News 1st):- The Commonwealth will deploy a team to observe the Presidential Election in Sri Lanka. Elections Commissioner-General Saman Rathnayake confirmed to News 1st that approval has been granted by the National Election Commission for the arrival of the team. A ten-member Commonwealth Observer Group, led by former Ghanaian Minister of Interior Prosper Bani, will observe the polls due to take place on the 16th of November. Speaking after constituting the group, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: “I want to thank Mr Bani and all the other members of the group for accepting my invitation to undertake this significant assignment on behalf of the Commonwealth." Commonwealth observers will assess all factors affecting the credibility of the electoral process as a whole. They will consider the pre-electoral environment, the voting process, counting and tabulation procedures, and the result announcement. The group is independent and will determine in its own judgment whether the election has been conducted according to the standards of Sri Lanka’s election-related legislation as well as relevant regional, Commonwealth and international commitments. The group will submit its report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will share it with the Government of Sri Lanka, its Electoral Commission, political parties and all Commonwealth governments. The report will then be made public. The Commonwealth Observer Group will be in Colombo from the 10-22 November.