The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) of the Parliamentary Opposition is to launch an independent election monitoring centre, named the NPP Election Monitoring Centre, today (26).
The centre will be headed by retired Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Gamini Navaratne, who previously oversaw election affairs for the Police Department.
During a press conference on July 25, Ravi Seneviratne, a former SDIG and current Chief of the NPP’s Retired Police Collective, announced that the centre will operate independently despite its establishment by the NPP.
The centre aims to monitor election-related misconduct across all 25 districts, with assistance from retired officers of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service and former Senior Inspectors of Police who are affiliated with the NPP’s Retired Police Collective.
The centre’s activities will include surveillance and intervention in necessary legal procedures to safeguard free and peaceful voting rights.
Seneviratne raised concerns over potential misuse of Police officers in election campaigns and alleged plans by the government to award Justice of the Peace positions to selected Police officers during the election period, which he warned could lead to partiality and misuse of authority.