DAILY NEWS ONLINE


OTHER EDITIONS

Budusarana On-line Edition
Silumina  on-line Edition
Sunday Observer

OTHER LINKS

Marriage Proposals
Classified Ads
Government - Gazette
Tsunami Focus Point - Tsunami information at One PointMihintalava - The Birthplace of Sri Lankan Buddhist Civilization
 

CMEV writes to polls chief

THE Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), having fielded mobile election monitors in many of the polling stations throughout North and East on election day, feels that the environment during the election campaign and on Election Day in the North and East were not conducive to the conduct of a free and fair election.

The CMEV in a letter to Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said there are two separate situations that they would like to address.

In the North, the major issue was that of intimidation of voters through diverse means including the distribution of posters and leaflets that aggressively discouraged people from going to the polls.

This led to the total turn out of the polls in the Jaffna District, for example, being as low as 1.5 percent of the total number of registered voters.

In the East, too, persons from areas under LTTE control were denied access to the transport - buses and ferries made available by the Government enable them to travel to the cluster polling stations set up in Government-controlled areas.

There were also acts of violence on the night before elections and throughout election day that terrorised and intimidated people from going to the polls.

The CMEV called on the polls chief to use the powers vested in him as Commissioner of Elections to call for a re-poll of the North and East to ensure that a truly free and fair election of the Chief Executive of Sri Lanka has taken place.

The CMEV said: "We would like to refer to Section 103 (2) of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution that mandates the Commissioner to ensure the conduct of a free and fair poll.

This is, as you well know, in terms of the Presidential Elections Act of 1981 and the Elections (Special Provisions) Act of 1988, is especially so in circumstances which could affect the outcome of the elections.

We draw your attention also to Article 21 (2) of the Elections (Special Provisions) Act which refers to the need for a re-poll where due to an emergency or unforseen circumstance the poll for the election of a District cannot be taken.

We hope that you will consider the circumstances of violence and intimidation that accompanied the Presidential polls in the Northern Province and in the Eastern Province on November 17 and call for a re-poll in keeping with the powers vested in you by law."

FEEDBACK | PRINT

 

| News | Editorial | Business | Features | Political | Security | Sports | World | Letters | Obituaries |

 

Produced by Lake House Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.

Comments and suggestions to : Web Manager