COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's government on Friday criticized a call by European ambassadors for a peaceful and credible presidential election next week.
European Union heads of mission in Colombo said in a statement Friday that the people should be able to choose their leader without violence or fear.
The external affairs ministry accused the ambassadors of interfering in the country's domestic affairs and said the statement called into question their sincerity and objectivity.
"Domestic elections are not for foreign government representatives to be prescriptive about, that too, a few days ahead of the polls," the ministry said in a statement. "It is therefore surprising that the EU heads of mission in Colombo should have resorted to a press statement on an issue of a strictly domestic nature."
President Mahinda Rajapaksa is seeking a third term in office in next Thursday's election. His main challenger is his former health minister, Maithripala Sirisena. The campaign has been acrimonious and there have been reports of violence.
