A group of election observers from the European Union and the Commonwealth have arrived in Sri Lanka to monitor the September 21 presidential election, Election Commission officials said on Sunday. They are here at the invitation of Sri Lanka’s Election Commission. The EU has previously done election monitoring in Sri Lanka six times with the last being at the presidential election of 2019.
“The deployment of the Election Observation Mission in Sri Lanka this year confirms our long-standing commitment to supporting credible, transparent, inclusive and peaceful elections in the country,” the head of the observer group said in a statement on Saturday.
“The forthcoming presidential election will give a new impetus to democracy following the 2022 political and economic crisis. This election is important for Sri Lanka to continue making progress on its path of reforms and lasting recovery, in full respect of democratic values,” the head of the observer group was quoted as saying.
