Monitors pleased with candidates' rapport
 

BY P. KRISHNASWAMY

A member of the International Election Observers Team, Daniel Tripp from UK, said that the filing of nominations yesterday for the November 17 presidential poll by candidates of political parties and political groups was peaceful and the officials of the Elections Department, contenders and their supporters were mutually co-operative.

Daniel who was one of the five international observers present at the elections office yesterday said that party supporters behaved with restrain. They did not show rivalry and there was no trouble. The five monitors were from the UK, USA and South Africa, he said.

A team of 25 international observers are already here for pre-election monitoring. A total of 100 monitors are to be deployed under the auspices of the PAFFREL, its Chairman Kingsley Rodrigo said.

Five of them were deployed at the Elections Office yesterday to observe the filing of nominations. PAFFREL will deploy 20,000 stationary monitors and 2000 mobile monitors apart from the 100 international monitors, he said.

Rodrigo said that displaying posters, banners, cutouts and handbills to promote elections were offenses from the day of nominations and he has requested all authorities concerned to initiate steps to remove such displays that have already been put out.

He said that laws relating to posters and banners are infringed with impunity by all political parties.

"Monitors should report on the conduct of the different parties, the extent to which this law is violated by each party and the action taken by the police on such illegal displays," he said.

He also said that monitors should report on whether,

(a) Any of the parties conducted or attempted to conduct unlawful processions or demonstrations; and

(b) All contesting parties are able to conduct their public meetings without any serious disturbance or disruption.

Meanwhile, a highly-placed officer attached to the Police Elections Unit said that from midnight yesterday they began removing posters, cutouts, banners and any other displays promoting elections.

They have requested political parties to remove all cutouts and banners so that they could re-use them.

If the political parties failed to do so the police will remove them and produce them in Courts. The officer also said that election meetings can be held only with prior permission obtained from the police and cutouts, banners etc. could only be displayed at the venue of the meeting.