Sri Lanka Kicks Off Postal Voting for Key Presidential Elections

Sri Lanka began postal voting for its presidential elections with 700,000 registered voters participating. Voting takes place at state institutions, mostly security forces camps. Additional days have been allocated for those unable to vote initially. The election is heavily monitored by local and international observers, with key candidates participating.

Sri Lanka initiated postal voting for the upcoming presidential elections on Wednesday, with 700,000 registered voters expected to participate by mail.

The voting, slated for September 21, occurs between 9 am and 4 pm at state institutions, primarily security forces camps, and will continue until Friday.

Additional days have been set for September 11 and 12 to accommodate those unable to vote within the initial time frame. These voters will be on election duty on polling day.

According to election monitoring groups, the first day of postal voting was incident-free. The People's Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) reported 90 poll observers present on Wednesday. Observers from the European Union and the Commonwealth Observer Group will also oversee the entire election process.

Leading candidates in this race include President Ranil Wickremesinghe, main opposition challenger Sajith Premadasa, and Marxist JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. This election marks the first since Sri Lanka faced an economic crisis after declaring a sovereign default in mid-April 2022.

(With inputs from agencies.)