Four non-governmental organisations will monitor the January 26 presidential election in Sri Lanka to ensure the polls are conducted in a free and fair manner.
The Sri Lankan Elections Department has permitted four NGOs to monitor the upcoming elections and representatives of two of the four bodies will be allowed to station themselves inside the polling stations.
The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections and the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence have been permitted to observe the poll process from the polling stations, while the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections and the Network for Election Monitoring will observe from outside, Consultant to the Elections Department Bandula Kulatunga said.
Sri Lanka has earlier said monitors from European Union and Commonwealth nations will be allowed as observers.
“Voters whose names are already in the 2008 Electoral Register will be able to vote,” the State-run Sunday Observer quoted Kulatunga as saying. Kulatunga rubbished reports that about one million displaced persons in the Northern Province have not been registered for voting and will be deprived of their franchise saying the poll is being held on the basis of 2008 Electoral Register and the question of registering again does not arise.
Meanwhile, temporary identity cards are being issued to persons who do not possess any valid documents to prove their identity.
