A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has arrived in Colombo for Sri Lanka’s presidential election, marking the Commonwealth’s 200th election observation since it began observing in the 1980s.

The country heads to the polls on 21 September, with a 15-person Observer Group deployed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General to observe the entire process, following an invitation from Sri Lanka’s Election Commission.

In a press statement in Colombo, Chairperson of the Group, former President of Seychelles HE Danny Faure, said he was honoured to be in Sri Lanka to mark the Commonwealth’s 200th election observation milestone.

He said: “We are here as part of the Commonwealth’s full electoral cycle approach in its engagement with member countries, to help strengthen democratic institutions and processes, and enable citizen participation and representation during elections.

“On Saturday 21st, Sri Lankans will head to the polls, coinciding with the International Day of Peace. This globally shared day is a commitment by all humanity to prioritise peace above all other considerations and work towards building a culture of peace. This is in line with the Commonwealth values as reflected in the Commonwealth Charter, which calls for free and democratic societies and the promotion of peace and prosperity, thereby improving the lives of all people.”

On 11 and 12 September, members of the support team observed the advance voting in Colombo - referred to as postal voting - the purpose of which is to enable eligible voters who cannot vote in person on 21 September to cast their ballots.

Meanwhile the observer group has begun meeting several stakeholders; they have met representatives of civil society, political parties, the police, and will meet more, including the Sri Lanka Election Commission, citizen observers and election monitors, and the media in the run-up to the election.

The observer group’s mandate, is to observe and evaluate all aspects of the pre-election environment, polling day activities, and the post-election period.

From 19 September, the group will deploy observers in small teams to different provinces to observe electoral preparations and meet with local stakeholders in their respective locations.

On Election Day, they will observe the opening, voting, closing, counting, and results management processes, and will issue an interim statement on their preliminary findings on 23 September 2024.

The Group will then submit a final report that will make recommendations on various aspects of the electoral process.