Propaganda meetings, canvassing end today

Lakshmi de Silva

The General Election campaign 2010 will end at midnight today. All propaganda meetings and canvassing should cease by that time. This is the first general election to be held in all 22 electoral districts after the defeat of terrorism.

A senior official of the Elections Commissioner’s Department said a majority of candidates were violating election laws, especially putting up posters and cut-outs at public places.

One Minister had erected a large cut-out on the road to the Parliament on public property, not even 500 metres away from the Elections Secretariat, the official said.

Although the Elections Commissioner had instructed the Police Department to ensure that illegal posters and cut-outs in public places should be removed, police seemed to be inactive. The candidates were not observing the election laws, he said.

He said PAFFREL and CMEV officials will be allowed to observe the counting of ballot papers at the counting centres of all electoral districts. The Police Department has deployed 58,700 police personnel on election day in addition to 16,000 members of the armed forces for additional security. There are 7,620 candidates in the fray with the UPFA and UNP contesting all districts while smaller political parties like TNA contesting only some districts.