Failure to produce a National Identity Card (NIC) or valid proof of identity meant that many Kalutara residents could not vote at yesterday’s Western Provincial Council polls.
According to Kasun Jayatunga, Kalutara district coordinator for the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), about 10 per cent of voters for the Mathugama, Agalawatta and Bulathsinhala seats were turned away because they failed to produce valid identity certificates.
Many of them were from estate areas, where the importance of the NIC for polling purposes is not fully appreciated. “The majority of those turned away had photographs of themselves certified by their estate managers,” Mr. Jayatunga said. “They use these certified photos for their everyday purposes. They had been not been properly instructed that they had to produce identity certification from the Election Commissioner to take part in the polls.”
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| Proving their identity was a problem for many Kalutara-based voters. |
In the Bulathsinhala seat alone, some 15 per cent of Tamil voters and 7 per cent of Sinhala voters were turned away because of the ID issue, according to a Bulathsinhala CaFFE official.
Meanwhile, observers said several Senior Presiding Officers (SPOs) at polling centres had shown good sense in their handling of such problems as ID cards names and numbers not matching the information appearing in the election registers. Once names were verified, these persons were allowed to cast their votes.
“Many of the Senior Presiding Officers acted intelligently and amicably in solving such matters,” said Nandasena Liyanage, Kalutara district co-ordinator for the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL).
Meanwhile, in the Horana, Bulathsinhala Agalawatta and Matugama seats many candidates, including government-backed contestants, were observed to be conducting “silent campaigns” close to the polling stations.
“Supporters of the leading parties, the UFPA and UNP, were trying to influence voters by handing out cards with their candidate numbers and party logos.
“In the Bulathsinhala area, cardboard cut-outs of candidates were on display, despite our asking the police to remove the cut-outs,” Mr. Jayatunga said.
Supporters of a government-backed candidate had even distributed leaflets that looked a lot like ballot papers, resulting in confusion among many voters. |
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