Four foreign monitoring teams to observe presidential polls in Sri Lanka

Four foreign election monitoring teams will observe the upcoming presidential elections in Sri Lanka, according to a media report.

The presidential polls in the country are scheduled for November 16.

Three teams of observers have already arrived in the country on the invitation of the Election Commission, the Colombo Page reported.

Another monitoring team is due to arrive in the country on the invitation of local election observers, the report said.

The contest to replace Maithripala Sirisena as Sri Lankan president has intensified with the two main contenders -- ruling UNP leader Sajith Premadasa and former defence chief Gotabhaya Rajapaksa -- launching their election campaign, both promising strong national security measures if they win.

As many as 35 candidates are in the fray for the polls. Over 15 million people are eligible to vote.