Commonwealth to monitor Sri Lankan presidential elections

<p>The Commonwealth is deploying a team to monitor the presidential election in Sri Lanka.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Commonwealth Observer Group will judge whether the election has been conducted in line with Sri Lanka’s election-related legislation as well as relevant regional, Commonwealth and international commitments.</p> <p>The ten member team will assess all factors affecting the credibility of the electoral process by considering the the pre-electoral environment, the voting process, counting and tabulation procedures, and the result announcement.</p> <p>The independent group will submit a report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, which will then be shared with the Government of Sri Lanka, its Electoral Commission, political parties and all Commonwealth Governments. It will then be available to the public.</p> <p>Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland ,said that “conducting credible, inclusive and peaceful elections where citizens can choose their leaders and representatives freely is fundamental to a healthy democracy, and is enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter.”</p> <p>The team will be on the ground in Colombo from November 10-22.&nbsp;</p> <p>See more <a href="https://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/commonwealth-observe-sri-lanka’s-presidential-election-process">here</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>