COLOMBO, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM), which deployed over 80 foreign observers to monitor Sri Lanka's presidential elections, concluded that the elections on Saturday had been held peacefully, largely free of violence, a statement said Monday.
Presenting the mission's preliminary statement in Colombo, the chief observer of the EU EOM, Marisa Matias, said that while the campaign on the ground was largely peaceful and calm, the playing field in the traditional and online media, however, was affected by instances of bias, hate speech and disinformation.
"The participation of Sri Lankans was very high. This was their day to exercise their right to democratic choice, and I hope that our observation has in some way contributed to their confidence in the process," Matias said.
Head of a delegation of Members of the European Parliament, Isabel Santos, said it was very moving to see Sri Lankans side by side exercising their democratic right, irrespective of their origin, religion or social status.
"This is a sign that they want to work together. Politicians and leaders need to understand this and act to unite the country," she said.
Sri Lanka held its presidential elections on Saturday during which an estimated 16 million voters out of its 22 million population casted their votes.
Opposition candidate from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, won the polls by securing a lead over his opponent Sajith Premadasa, who contested from the ruling party.
