EU satisfied with decisions taken by polls chief

European Union (EU) election observers today said that they were satisfied with the manner in which Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya carried out his duties during the Parliamentary election.

Chief Observer Cristian Preda, a Member of the European Parliament, said that Deshapriya had particularly handled the State media in a commendable manner.

Meanwhile,?Ignazio?Corrao,?Chair of the European Parliament Election Observation Delegation?for the Parliamentary Elections in Sri Lanka, said that the election was seen as the?most peaceful elections in Sri Lanka in a long time.

Corrao proposed that before the next elections Sri Lanka must?adopt a new electoral law that will set the framework for the electoral commission, improve accessibility to polling stations for people with reduced mobility and increase the?presence of senior presiding officer positions for women on election day.

“Now is the time to seize the opportunity for a complete reconciliation in Sri Lanka,”?Ignazio?Corrao said.

On election day, the EU election observers?observed voting in Colombo, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Kandy and Jaffna, from the opening to the closure of activities, and the vote count.

The EU observers said that the overall evaluation is that the election was very well organised. However the EU?delegation took note of the low presence of female candidates according to international standards.

“We recommend that efforts are made so that more female candidates are nominated and elected next time,” the EU election observers said.

The EU said it attaches great importance to its partnership with Sri Lanka. The EU financial support to Sri Lanka will amount to over EUR 210 million from 2014 to 2020. Sri Lanka will also additionally benefit from regional and global funds. (Colombo Gazette)