Colombo, March 26 -  The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) expressed its intent to observe the upcoming 2024 Sri Lankan Presidential Election during a meeting with the Elections Commission of Sri Lanka today, a statement from it said. 

ANFREL has observed 12 elections in Sri Lanka since 2001 promoting international principles of democratic elections. ANFREL is a regional election observation group working to defend and protect democratic elections through elections observations, capacity building, and campaign and advocacy.

According to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, the Presidential election must occur no less than one month and no more than two months before the expiration of the presidential term. Consequently, the Presidential election is mandated to take place on or before 17 October 2024, as the current presidential term commenced on 18 November 2019.

ANFREL said, “As we anticipate the forthcoming Sri Lankan elections, we envisage yet another significant stride towards upholding international standards of democratic elections, wherein all stakeholders are afforded the freedom to participate in an accountable, transparent, inclusive, free and fair manner.

In its previous engagements in Sri Lanka, ANFREL has highlighted key electoral reforms including campaign finance regulations, countering hate speech and mis- and disinformation, and upholding the voting rights of migrant workers.

ANFREL welcomes the passage of the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act which seeks to regulate campaign finance spending and provide a level playing field among election candidates. ANFREL is committed to monitor the implementation of these laws during the upcoming Presidential elections, thereby reinforcing the integrity of the electoral process and mitigating the adverse impact of monetary politics.