Reports of vote buying, intimidation by armed groups, grabbing of polling cards, election violations and a fear psychosis prevented a large number of people from voting in the north as election to 65 local councils were held yesterday.
Election officials said the estimated turnout was between 60 and 70 per cent with the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts recording 65 per cent each and Jaffna 47 per cent.
Independent polls monitors said there were blatant violations of election laws with offences ranging from open bribery
and the transporting of party supporters to the wide abuse of state machinery and other resources in favour of ruling party candidates.
Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) spokesman Keerthi Tennakoon said unidentified groups attired in military-style uniforms had stormed several villages in the Kilinochchi District shortly on Friday evening and grabbed polling cards from the residents.
“These activities extended up to yesterday morning. And if this was not enough activists from the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) began to offer Rs. 1000 to 1,500 to people in return for their polling cards.
“In some cases our monitors in the north reported that bags of dry rations and other essentials were also being offered to the voters. All this was happening in the presence of the police and security forces personnel,” Mr. Tennakoon charged.People’s Action Front For Free and Fair Elections(PAFFREL) Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said a fear psychosis that was built up in the northern areas during the run-up to the polls that included assaults, intimidation and a hopelessly one-sided campaign in favour of the ruling party discouraged other voters from going to the polls.
Meanwhile, a UPFA supporter was brutally killed during a clash with supporters of the same party.
“Apart from this incident and a few shootings earlier on and damage to property most of the other cases were of a minor nature. Most of the complaints were received from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP),” the PAFFREL chief said.
Police and election officials, however, claimed yesterday evening that the polls were free and fair to a large extent with little or no serious incidents reported.
Kilinochchi police chief Neil Daluwatte said there were some minor incidents but dismissed claims of widespread poll card grabbing and bribery. |
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