All set for WPC polls
Ishara MUDUGAMUWA
“The number of Election Law violations received and confirmed by the
Network for Election Monitoring since the date of nominations for the
Western Province Provincial Council Election is 137,” said Chief
Executive of Network for Election Monitoring, Dr. Uditha Gunasekara.
2,378 candidates from 19 political parties and 17 independent groups
submitted their nominations, after nominations were called on February
19 to select 102 representatives for the Western Provincial Council. The
period of political campaigns ended at midnight of April 22.
3,820,214 voters are due to cast their votes at 2,769 polling
stations in the 36 electorates of the Western Province.
PAFFREL’s observations on the elections day will be under two
sections, namely, stationary and mobile observers.
Under the stationary observation system, activities within polling
stations will be observed in 636 polling stations in Colombo district,
and 490 polling stations in Kalutara district and 627 polling stations
in Gampaha district are also planned to be kept under observation.
Accordingly about three fourths of total polling stations will be
observed by PAFFREL observers.
To observe the areas around polling stations 40 mobile vehicles will
be engaged, at the rate of at least one mobile vehicle per electorate.
In general, PAFFREL observations would be done for a period from
three to two weeks, depending on the situation that would prevail after
the election.
The All Party Operation Room, which was operated at the two previous
provincial council elections, is planned to be operative at the Election
Secretariat on April 25. Responsible representatives of all contesting
parties would be invited to take part in that and a team of police
officers headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police and senior
officers of the Elections Commissioner’s Department will also take part.
All coordinating activities pertaining to this will be done by
PAFFREL. The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) will also be
invited. |
