John Kerry calls Mahinda to ensure election free from violence
Friday, 9 January 2015 03:51
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Washington DC: The United States Secretary of State John Kerry has called the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ensure that the presidential election today is free from violence.
The United States Wednesday said it supports a free and fair electoral process in Sri Lanka that is credible, peaceful and inclusive.
Spokesperson of the US State Department Jen Psaki at the media briefing Wednesday said Secretary Kerry called the Sri Lankan president yesterday to “underscore the Government’s responsibility to ensure the 8 January elections will be free from violence and intimidation and that the vote counting is carried out credibly and transparently.”
Responding to the media queries regarding concerns raised by several human rights organisations regarding the large-scale election violence in the country, the spokesperson said the United States had seen the reports.
“We will continue to monitor the situation in Sri Lanka. We urge the Government, its election officials and police, all political parties and actors to ensure access to all vote centres for the voters to vote and counting centers for all international and domestic observers. We’re concerned about reports of violence and urge the Government to ensure a transparent and credible investigation into any allegation of fraud or violence,” the spokesperson said.
When asked, the State Department spokesperson said she was not aware of any plans to send observers to monitor Sri Lanka elections.
Several human rights organisations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have expressed concerns about the pre-election violence and urged the Sri Lankan Government to protect the people’s right to exercise their right to vote freely.
