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C’wealth expects SL to hold credible poll

04 Aug 2015 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma said yesterday he expected Sri Lanka to conduct a credible poll and vote-counting andupholdelection laws during and after the election was concluded.

“It is my hope and expectation that Sri Lanka will continue its tradition of conducting credible polling and vote-counting and that the remainder of the campaign period, Election Day and the post-election period will be marked by adherence to the country’s election laws,” he said.

In a statement issued to coincide with Commonwealth observers being sent to Sri Lanka to monitorthe August 17generalelection, Mr. Sharma said he was delighted that the Commonwealth, which had a strong history of supporting Sri Lanka during elections, was invited to observe the elections.

The Commonwealth observer group led by former Maltese President Dr George Abelawas constituted by SecretaryGeneral Sharma following an invitation from the Elections Commissioner.

The Commonwealth Observer Group’s mandate is to observe and consider the various factors affecting the credibility of the electoral process as a whole. The group will determine in its own judgement whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards to which Sri Lanka has committed itself, with reference to national legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and international commitments.

The observer group is impartial and independent and will conduct itself according to the standards of the International Declaration of Principles for Elections Observation, to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.

The group will submit its report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will send it to the Sri Lankan Government, the ElectionsCommissioner, political parties, and to all Commonwealth governments. Thereafter it will be published on the Commonwealth’s website.

A staff support team of five persons from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by Mr. Martin Kasirye, Head of the Secretariat’s Electoral Support Section, will support the nine member observer group.

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C’wealth expects SL to hold credible poll

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