71 members will be at the election observation mission – EC
The Election Commission has disallowed diplomats of the European Union missions in Colombo to be a part of its monitoring team during the next week’s presidential election.
Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake said a request was turned down and the local embassy staff of the EU could not be deployed on election observation activities.
A senior election officer explained that diplomats based in Sri Lanka could not engage with any observation mission and that it was not the policy of the EC or the country to permit them to observe elections.
However, an additional EU short-term observer team is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka tomorrow to join the party already in the country.
The EU hopes to deploy about 71 members on the mission. According to the Election Commission among them are 22 inspectors from the Nations of Commonwealth and 34 European Union observers are scheduled to visit the island.
The Election Commission said the election observers who have come to the island are engaged in full election observation activities.
Chairman of the Election Commission R.M.A.L. Ratnayake said the presidential election campaigns will end at midnight on Wednesday the 18th.
