Significant drop in polls violations - Commissioner

Hiran H. Senewiratne

Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said that compared to the last five elections, the number of election related violence this time around has recorded a significant drop, as also the violation of election laws which augurs well for future elections.

“This time also we will act firmly against those attempting to create disturbances and we will suspend counting at polling centres until such unruly elements are removed,” Dissanayake told a media briefing yesterday.

The Elections Department is ready to hold both the Uva Provincial Council and Jaffna and Vavuniya Local Government elections on August 8 and is expecting to deploy 683 officials from the Department, he said.He said this time they are holding two types of elections i.e. Provincial Council and the Local Government elections simultaneously and rules and regulations in both systems sometimes differ from each other which however will not make much of an impact.

The Party Secretaries of the respective political parties should take all steps to control their candidates and advice them not to resort to any form of violence, he said.

He said that all election canvassing and propaganda activities ended midnight on August 5.

If any political party violates election laws after this date, action will be taken against such perpetrators.

The Elections Commissioner requested all media organizations, especially private media originations, to present elections related programs without any bias towards any political party and with a sense of responsibility to ensure a free and fair election in Uva and the Northern Local Government elections.

Dissanayake said that during the last five Provincial Council elections, the Elections Department released Rs 1.2 million to the Police to remove all posters and cutouts but this time it stopped giving any funds due to various reasons.

He said that to cast one’s vote, the National Identity Card or a valid identity document is needed.

The Registrar of Persons has taken every possible step to issue national identity cards for voters in areas where the elections are held. However, in Jaffna and Vavuniya Local Government elections, it was found that 6,030 IDPs had applied for identity cards out of which 1,027 applications were rejected on account of false information and duel registrations.

The principle objective of the Elections Department is to conduct Presidential, Parliamentary, Provincial and Local Elections and the Holding of Referendum in a free and fair manner.

The Department is responsible for the annual revision of electoral registers of the 22 electoral districts.

With the enactment of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution an Elections Commission is to be established.

Until it is constituted the person holding the office of the Commissioner of Elections immediately prior to the Act exercises and performs the powers and functions of the commission.