Commonwealth observes presidential elections in Sri Lanka

A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) led by His Excellency Danny Faure, former President of Seychelles, will observe the presidential elections in Sri Lanka to be held on 21 September 2024.

The 15-member group was sent 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.

Announcing the group before its deployment in London, Secretary General Scotland said:

“Election observation is a core strength of the Commonwealth and provides critical support to the process and institutions of democracy in our member states, in line with the principles and purposes of our Charter.

“As part of its important work, the Commonwealth Observer Group will comprehensively assess all factors affecting the credibility of the electoral process, including the pre-election environment, voting procedures, counting and recounting processes, and the post-election environment after the results are announced. Its findings will be presented in an interim report, followed by a final report with recommendations to further strengthen future elections.”

The Commonwealth Secretary-General also expressed her gratitude to the Chair who will lead the COG and to each and every distinguished expert from across the Commonwealth who will contribute to this important task.

The independent observer group will determine whether the elections comply with Sri Lanka's electoral laws and meet relevant regional, Commonwealth and international standards. The observers will adhere to the International Declaration of Principles on Election Observation, which the Commonwealth was one of the original signatories to at the United Nations in 2005, to ensure the professionalism and credibility of election observation.

At the end of its mandate, the COG will submit a comprehensive report containing its observations and recommendations to the Commonwealth Secretary-General. This report will then be published and presented to the Government of Sri Lanka, the Election Commission, political parties and the governments of Commonwealth member states.

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

Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group

Chairman: HE Danny Faure, former President of the Seychelles

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

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