First team of election monitors due today

by Manjula Fernando

The first team of international election monitors invited to observe the conduct of the 2015 January presidential election will arrive in the country today.

A senior official of the Elections Department said teams will send in observers on a staggered basis to cover the pre-poll as well as the post election phase. The forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) and Association of Asian Election Authorities will send 60 monitors. These officers represent election bodies in their countries, including all SAARC nations.

The first duty of the international monitors will be tomorrow nomination day.

They will monitor the handing over of nominations from 9.00am to 11.00 am at the auditorium of the Elections Secretariat at Sarana Mawatha, Rajagiriya. Objections to the nominations will be accepted from 9.00am to 11.30 at the same venue.

"These foreign observers will meet the local observers, media institution heads and political party representatives to discuss preparations before departing to the districts to meet the Government Agents and work with the regional complaints' desks," the senior elections officer said.

They will also monitor the postal voting on December 23, 24 and December 30.