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Elections watchdog prepares to hear voter list gripes
The Elections Commission has begun inquiries into objections and appeals to the voter registration list and the final draft of the 2018 voter register will be ready by October 15, a senior official said.
Deputy Elections Commissioner, M.M. Mohamed told the Sunday Times, the inquiry process would continue till the end of this month and those who appealed and raised objections would be informed by registered mail that they be should be present at the elections office, or the relevant Divisional Secretariat, where an inquiry would be held.
“They will have to bring all necessary documents to support their case,” Mr. Mohamed said. “If they are unable to make it themselves, they can appoint another person on their behalf, provided they issue an authorisation letter.”
He said that complaints against a person by someone else, would require the presence of both parties at the inquiry. “Other cases that will be looked into are; those who were not recommended to the register by the Grama Niladhari and those who were unaware of the enumeration process,” he said.
All inquiries will be in the presence of the relevant Grama Niladhari, who is the person most fit to confirm all details related to residential addresses, Mr Mohamed said.
“The Elections Commission is ready to hold the Provincial Council elections by January, if the Delimitation Report amendment process is speeded up and an election system finalised in the next two months. The 2018 voter register will be in place by October, replacing last year’s one,” he added.
Meanwhile, the director of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon, said there is no certainty on when the Provincial Council elections will be held.
“The government is delaying the election by slugging in the Delimitation Report amendments, because they’re afraid to face one. The Joint Opposition wants the government to hold back the election until the people are utterly fed up, giving them [the JO] an advantage in the presidential and general elections,” he said.
The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Executive Director, Rohana Hettiarachchi, said the NGO was preparing for the presidential and general elections.
“We plan to have discussions with academics, the civil society and trade unions to obtain their insights on government policies, before relaying this to the different political parties,” he said. “Sri Lanka doesn’t have strong policies for any of its main sectors and this is worrying. We hope to advise all the political parties on this matter, so that it helps them prepare their manifestos and field suitable candidates.”