• Election held peacefully: Police, HRCSL
• Hike in misinfo./disinfo.: Polls monitors

There have been no cases of post-Poll electoral violence following the 2024 Presidential Election, the Police and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) confirmed.

“Not a single case of violence has been reported,” the Police Media Spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General of Police Nihal Thalduwa told The Daily Morning yesterday (22) in response to a query on violent incidents in the post-election context as election results were announced. “We do have some complaints of electoral crimes; however, these complaints are very minor.”

Thalduwa said that there have been cases of social media canvassing by certain people, noting however that it would be difficult to act on these complaints. “There have been a few complaints about people canvassing on social media. However, it is very difficult to catch these individuals,” Thalduwa said.

Meanwhile, the People’s Action of Free and Fair Elections has confirmed via a press release that voting had been relatively peaceful and non-violent with over 1,000 election observers present during the Poll.

The HRCSL also confirmed that they did not receive any complaints of post-electoral violence. “We did not receive any definite complaints,” the HRCSL Commissioner, attorney Nimal Punchihewa said, adding that: “There was one incident that we heard about, but that is not definite.”

Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (DRES) Executive Director Manjula Gajanayake also confirmed the peaceful post-election period. Although one incident has been reported in the Hiriyala area and it could be believed to be related to the Election, Gajanayake said that investigations are underway to determine whether it was a politically motivated incident. 

“This is one of the most peaceful Presidential Elections held,” he said, explaining that although a number of minor cases have been reported earlier, none of them affected the conduct of the Election and the counting process.