European Union election observers found that Sri Lanka’s traditional and social media platforms had shared “divisive rhetoric, hate speech and disinformation” during the 2019 presidential election, labelling the coverage “biased”.
Areport by the EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) last week added that “biased election coverage by private and state media contributed to an uneven playing field and limited the opportunity for most candidates to convey their message”.
“An electoral process well managed by the Election Commission and a peaceful campaign on the ground contrasted with divisive rhetoric, hate speech and disinformation in traditional and social media,” said Chief Observer of the mission Marisa Matias.
Matias added that clear legislation needed to be created, which met the international commitments of Sri Lanka, including campaign finance laws and measures to tackle low-level participation of women in politics.
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