Commonwealth to observe Sri Lanka’s presidential election

2 September 2024 08:35 pm Views - 622

A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), led by Danny Faure, former President of Seychelles, will observe Sri Lanka's Presidential Election, which will be held on 21 September 2024.

The 14-member group was deployed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, following a pre-election assessment mission to the country and an invitation from the Election Commission of Sri Lanka, the Commonwealth said in a statement.

Secretary-General Scotland announced the group ahead of the deployment in London, saying:

“Election observation work is a core strength of the Commonwealth, providing vital support to the process and institutions of democracy across our member states, in line with the principles and aspirations of our Charter.

“As part of their critical work, the Commonwealth Observer Group will comprehensively assess all factors impacting the credibility of the electoral process, including the pre-election environment, voting procedures, counting and tabulation processes, as well as the post-election environment following the announcement of results. Their findings will be presented in an interim report, followed by a final report with recommendations to further help strengthen future elections.”

The Commonwealth Secretary-General also expressed her gratitude to the Chairperson, who will lead the COG, and to each of the eminent experts, drawn from across the Commonwealth, who will participate in this important assignment.    

The independent observer group will determine whether the election complies with Sri Lanka's electoral laws and meets relevant regional, Commonwealth, and international standards. Observers will adhere to the International Declaration of Principles for Election Observation, which the Commonwealth was one of the original signatories to at the UN in 2005, to ensure the professionalism and credibility of election observation.

At the end of the assignment, the COG will submit a comprehensive report containing their observations and recommendations to the Commonwealth Secretary-General. This report will subsequently be made public and shared with the Government of Sri Lanka, the Election Commission, political parties, and Commonwealth member governments. 

The Commonwealth Observer Group will be in Sri Lanka from 15 to 27 September and will be supported by a seven-member staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Lindiwe Maleleka, Political Adviser in the Electoral Support Section of Governance and Peace Directorate.

Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group

Chairperson: Danny Faure, former President of Seychelles

The Commonwealth Observer Group members, in alphabetical order by country name, are:

1. Mr Ian Hughes, Supervisor of Elections, Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission, Antigua and Barbuda
2. Hon Allyson Maynard Gibson, Former Attorney-General and Minister for Legal Affairs, The Bahamas
3. Mrs Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer, Belize
4. Ms Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls, Programme Manager: Pacific Women Mediators Network, Fiji
5. Dr Tres-Ann Kremer, Regional Director-Caribbean, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Jamaica
6. Ambassador Manoah Esipisu, Former Kenyan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Kenya
7. Ms Sara Naseem, Former Communications & Advocacy Manager, Transparency Maldives, Maldives
8. Hon Maryan Street MNZM, Former Cabinet Minister, New Zealand
9. Dr Aderemi Ajibewa , Former Political Director ECOWAS, Nigeria
10. Mr Mohammad Amir Wasim, Bureau Chief, Daily Dawn, Pakistan
11. Cynthia Barrow-Giles, Professor of Constitutional Governance and Politics, The University of the West Indies, Saint Lucia
12. Professor Mandla Mchunu, Former Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Commission, South Africa
13. Dr Victor Shale, Governance and Elections Expert, South Africa