PAFFREL invites more than 100 foreign election monitors

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 November 2005, 11:28 GMT]
Peoples Action For Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL), a Colombo based election monitoring Non Governmental Organization said in a press release issued in Colombo Wednesday that more than one hundred foreign obeservers are arriving on 9 November to monitor elections in the twenty two electoral districts. More than 40 obervers are to be sent to NorthEast including to the cluster polling stations, the release added.

Full text of the release follows:

In order to strengthen the capacity and the intensity of the election process for the Presidential Election 2005, PAFFREL has invited over 100 International election observers, particularly to observe the election day activities. These short-term observers will added to the 10 long-term international election observers who have been observing this election since the second week of October. PAFFREL short-term International election observers come from more than 35 countries, including Europe and United States. PAFFREL International Observers represent different domestic and regional election monitoring organizations, human rights groups, and academics. These organizations include Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and Non-violent Peace Force (NP).

These short-term election observers arrive in Sri Lanka on 9th November onwards and will be staying at Mount Lavinia Hotel until the deployment. A two-day training and briefing session will be held on 11th and 12th at the Hotel to orientate observers on the Constitution, Election Laws, Election Process, Political Context, Security etc. Speakers will be from different organisations including the Elections Secretariat and the Department of Police. Representatives of the Presidential candidates will also brief observers about the role they expect from observers.

PAFFREL International Election observers will deploy more than 55 teams (two observers each) to all 22 electoral districts in the country by 13th November and they are expected to observe the last days of the election and especially the election day. PAFFREL will be sending more than 40 observers to the North and East including the cluster polling stations.