The Executive Director of CaFFE, Keerthi Tennakoon revealed that 51% of eligible voters in Puthukkudiyiruppu and Maritimepattu Pradeshiya Sabas in Mullaitivu district do not possess national identity cards. He disclosed this while addressing a training program for Election Observers in Colombo today (on 27th of February 2012).
Further, he revealed that for the Puthukkudiyiruppu and Maritimepattu local government election 44,682 have registered as voters, however 22,857 of them do not possess NICs. Among them 11,295 reported from Maritimepattu Pradeshiya Saba. Moreover, 2,692 voters in Oddusudan Divisional Secretary in Puthukkudiyiruppu Pradeshiya Saba and 8,906 voters in Puthukkudiyiruppu Divisional Secretary do not possess NICs. In addition, he emphasized that everyone who involve in election activities should intervene to ensure those people’s right to vote. (Read More)
Elections Commissioner of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Deshapriya has decided to hold the elections for the two local government bodies in war-ravaged Mullativu District on March 24.
Elections Commissioner met with the representatives of political parties today to discuss the elections for the Puthukudiyiruppu and Maritimepattu Pradeshiya Sabhas in the Mullativu District.
The elections for the two local bodies were postponed due to the resettlement programme and the de-mining programme that were continuing in the area. Elections have already been held for the rest of the local government bodies in the Northern Province.
A successful politician once pointed to a bag full of Rupee notes and said, ‘these are my election posters’. At the time he was pointing to ten rupee notes, but campaigns have now escalated into millions upon millions.
Often millions of dollars. Where can a candidate get bags of ready cash? Who does this political system empower?
Big business, wealthy citizens, yes, but more than anything, this system of cash for votes empowers bookies, drug dealers and the underworld. The underworld has always been involved in everything from Sri Lankan politics to cricket, but the age of flash money reached its nadir with the entry of Thilanga Sumathipala and Duminda Silva into politics.
That Provincial Council election saw some of the highest spending in recent memory, and they were just getting warmed up. Both are now MPs, but the one who spent the most (and got the most votes) is in hospital with multiple bullets in his brain. This was John Gotti if he decided to go into politics.
The one who flashed too much, hopefully, marked the decline of the whole rotten mess.
Neither man has been implicated in anything worse than procuring a fake passport for an underworld leader (Sumathipala) or the abduction and rape of a 13 year old girl (Silva). As you can see, the younger striver was more brutish and brash. Let us focus on him.
Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) yesterday accused the police of ignoring Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya’s instructions to provide adequate security in Kolonnawa, resulting in tragedy on polling day.
CaFFE Executive Director Keerthi Tennakoon said Mr. Deshapriya had instructed the Elections DIG to provide adequate security in Kolonnawa after he received several complaints about growing tension in the area.
The instruction sheet sent by the polls chief had said a Colombo District United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP was applying undue pressure on voters at several polling stations including Kadulla, Wadulwatte, Jana Sabha, Kelanipura and Kambi Kotuwa on polling day.
Mr. Deshapriya had also instructed the returning officer in the area to take this matter into consideration before the counting. Mr. Tennakoon said the Mulleriyawa tragedy could have been avoided if the instructions given by Mr. Deshapriya were followed.
When provincial politicians undermine the rule of law
Relative calm prevailed in the 23 Municipal and Urban Councils which went for elections on, apart from the shooting incident in Mulleriyawa, Kolonnawa which took the life of former MP Baratha Lakshman Premachandra.
However large number of election law violations was reported in all areas where the election was held, except two. The biggest election law violators were provincial level politicians who are just entering national politics. Through out the Election Day such individuals including Rohana Dissanayake of Matale, Johnston Fernando and Jayarathne Herath of Kurunegala and Duminda Silva of Colombo, roamed the streets in vehicles with a large number of supporters. Apart from the above mentioned areas such activity could also be seen in Rathnapura, Hambanthota, Galle and Matara.
Vehicle Parades All Around
Although the Department of Elections successfully intervened to stop vehicle parades in Matale and Kurunegala, they were unable to do so in Kolonnawa. Unfortunately one of these illegal vehicle parades was the main cause of the shoot out in Mulleriyawa which lead to the death of Premachandra.
The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) said today that the concluded Local Government elections, was not free and fair. Speaking to the Daily Mirror online Executive Director of CaFFE Keerthi Tennakoon said that there was heavy violation of election laws in the run up to the elections. “There was heavy misuse of state property and the law enforcement authorities did not act as was expected. There was also illegal propaganda and campaigning which marred the polls," he said. He went on to note that despite the Department of Elections taking all necessary measures to curb illegal activity during the run up to the elections many politicians flouted the law.
However, he went on to note that overall there was a peaceful atmosphere prevalent during election day, October 8. "Except for the very unfortunate incident that occurred in Mulleriyawa the other parts of the country where the election was held saw a very peaceful atmosphere in the overall context. There were 86 violations of election laws and five reported cases of intimidation and assault but we saw a very peaceful environment in which the voter was not afraid to go to the booth," he said.
Commenting on the shooting that took place in Mulleriyawa today, Tennakoon said this was the boiling point for which there was a build-up. "During the run up to the elections there were many cases of assault and intimidation in the area, these went unreported, due to the prevalent violence. During the run up to the elections there were extra monitors put on duty to areas. Even the Elections Department was aware of this situation and today’s extraordinary incident summed up the election in the area which was marred by violence throughout," he said. (HF)
The Elections Commissioner is not constitutionally empowered to take action against any abuse of state resources, Deputy Elections Commissioner M.M. Mohamed said yesterday.
Responding to allegations that the state media are being used to carry out propaganda work for the ruling party candidates in the run-up to Saturday’s local council elections, Mr. Mohamed said with the passage of the 18th Amendment, the Commissioner no longer had Constitutional powers to appoint a competent authority to ensure balanced media coverage.
“The provision to do so has been repealed. However, the Commissioner has sought the assistance of the private and state media to ensure balanced coverage,” Mr. Mohamed said.He said Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya had informed all media institution heads to stop election propaganda from midnight October 5.
Meanwhile six officials have arrived from India to monitor Saturday’s elections, and will be coordinating with the Elections Department.
The Elections Department National Coordinating Centre has so far received some 100 election-related complaints.
Proxy candidates are becoming a major issue in the upcoming Local Government elections, with four cases being reported, the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE)said.
In Badulla, a candidate whose name was not on the nomination sheet is contesting using his father’s name, preferential number and photo. In Kotte a candidate named Ali Isman was doing propaganda work for his son, Asmir (contesting from the UPFA). Similar incidents were reported from Kotikawatte and Galkissa, Dehiwala, Executive Director of CaFFE Keerthi Tennakoon said. The
CaFFE Director also said that there had been 37 incidents of election violations reported, although there had been no major incidents of physical violence.
The leader of an independent group (reportedly a supporter of Sajith Premadasa whose nomination papers were not accepted by the main Opposition party) was attacked by UNP supporters on Thursday (15). Propaganda was also widespread with Ratnapura boasting many cutouts and posters, however upon appealing to the Elections Commissioner around 80 large cutouts were removed.
Under the ‘session one’ of ‘seettu system’ of holding local body elections, the Rajapakse regime is plundering the rightful franchise of the people not only by lifting the shawl but also the sarong and exposing its hindquarters instead of its headquarters .
It is only the God above knows when these dastardly and deceitful actions were being engaged in , whether the Elections Commission office, election laws, the election monitors and the so called senior party secretaries were in a deep slumber.
This shameful act of the Rajapakse regime showing its hindquarter in order to deprive the voters of the franchise is taking place at the Badulla Municipal elections. A father is conducting election campaign under the son’s nomination number . In the nomination list is the son’s name and his number. But in his poster it is his father ‘s photo that is there. The name of the son who had handed over his nomination for the Badulla Municipal elections under the UPFA ticket is Madusha Mahesh De Silva. The number allotted to him by the elections Commissioner’s office is 2. But , in the posters and ballot papers , it is his father ‘s name Lal Sujeewa De Silva alias Lal Silva that is mentioned as contesting in the UPFA ticket on the betel leaf symbol under the number 2. Only God knows the diabolic and deceitful aims and objectives. From the pictures herein one can understand what we mean.
September 29 and 30 are the days set apart for postal voting for the October 8 local council polls, Elections Secretariat said yesterday.
Deputy Elections Commissioner W.P. Sumanasiri said 4,505 out of a total of 5,926 public servants are registered for postal voting and of those who had applied 1,421 applications were rejected.
He said the allocation of preferential numbers to 6,488 candidates vying for 420 slots for the elections to 17 Municipal Councils including the Colombo Municipal Council, five Pradeshiya Sabhas and one Urban Council have been completed. The elections department will set up 1,167 polling stations for 1,589,622
eligible voters.
The two-day postal voting will be held at military camps, SLTB depots, Divisional and District Secretariat offices, government departments and other state institutions.
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