Commonwealth to observe Sri Lanka election

29 December 2014

The Commonwealth

Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, former President of Guyana, will lead the Observer Group, which follows a formal invitation from Sri Lanka’s Commissioner of Elections, Mahinda Deshapriya.

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 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 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 Observers will be in Sri Lanka from 2 to 14 January 2015. A five-member team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Ms Katalaina Sapolu, Director of the Rule of Law Division, will support them.

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 Campbell Gordon 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

For media enquiries, please contact Victoria Holdsworth on v.holdsworth@commonwealth.int or +44 (0) 789 459 3520.

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