Observer Group from The Commonwealth to monitor the election

A nine member Observer Group from The Commonwealth arrived in Sri Lanka on the invitation of the Commissioner of Elections to observe and report on the 2015 Presidential Election.

A nine member Observer Group from The Commonwealth arrived in Sri Lanka on the invitation of the Commissioner of Elections to observe and report on the 2015 Presidential Election.

The Observer Group is drawn from across the Commonwealth, and includes former politicians and members of parliament, former members of election commissions and representatives of civil society and the media. The Group is led by Dr Bharrat Jagdeo (Chair), a former President of Guyana.

Dr Jagdeo (pictured) stated that they are in Sri Lanka to observe the election, especially if its conduct is free and fair, the transparency of the vote counting process and the conduct of state media organisations. He made this statement during a media briefing held at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo on January 4, 2015. Also joining him at the briefing was Ms Katalaina Sapolu, Director of the Rule of Law Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat, who is heading an additional staff team of five to support the Observer Group.

In a statement issued earlier, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma reiterated the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, to which the Commonwealth is a signatory. He said: “Genuine democratic elections are an expression of sovereignty, which belongs to the people of a country, the free expression of whose will provides the basis for the authority and legitimacy of government.”

Mr Sharma also added: “Sri Lanka has among the oldest democratic traditions in the Commonwealth. The people of Sri Lanka should be able to freely exercise their franchise, in an enabling environment marked by transparency, a level playing field, and adherence to the laws and norms that govern a credible and peaceful election. For this, key stakeholders must play their due roles.”

The Commonwealth has already observed the 2010 Presidential Election and the 2013 Northern Provincial Council elections in Sri Lanka.

The Observer Group will consider the pre-electoral environment and preparations. On Election Day and thereafter, members will observe the voting process, counting and tabulation procedures and the announcement of results. The Group will act impartially and make an independent assessment of the electoral process. It will conduct itself according to the standards expressed in the International Declaration of Principles for Election Observation to which Sri Lanka has committed itself.

Upon completion of its assignment, the Group will submit its report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will in turn send it to the Government of Sri Lanka, the Commissioner of Elections and the principal political parties, before making it available to all Commonwealth Governments, and eventually releasing it into the public domain.

The nine Commonwealth Observers will be in Sri Lanka from 2 to 14 January 2015. The full composition of the Commonwealth Observer Group is:

Dr Bharrat Jagdeo (Chair), Former President, Guyana

Ms Maria Chin Abdullah, The Coalition of Free and Fair Elections, Malaysia

Dr Cam Calder, Former Member of Parliament, New Zealand

Mr Qamar Zaman Kaira, Former Minister and Member of Parliament, Pakistan

Mr Eldred De Klerk, Rule of law and elections security expert, South Africa

Dr Sally Kosgei, Former Minister and Member of Parliament, Kenya

Ms Sa-adatu Maida, Election Commissioner, Ghana

Mr Brij Bihari Tandon, Former Election Commissioner of India, India

Ms Lainy Malkani, Media Expert, United Kingdom