News
|
||||
PAFFREL
to meet Service Commanders PAFFREL Executive Director Kingsley Rodrigo told The Sunday Times that as a crucial poll it was important to discuss the preparations made by the Armed forces. “We will discuss with the Army Commander on the modalities of holding polls in the North and East. As there is a Court verdict following the 2000 polls we will get confirmation on how the security forces will carry out the work”, Mr. Rodrigo said PAFREL hopes to recommend to the Service Chiefs that body checks on voters in the North and East be done inside the buses transporting the voters to the polling booths. Following the meeting with the two service chiefs PAFREL will discuss with the IGP and the Navy Commander as well. “Discussions with the IGP will be on the security arrangements on election day and the post election period. Our main concern is the North and East. We will also meet with the Police Commission”, he said. PAFFREL said arrangements have been made to deploy 20,000 election monitors on poll day and 2,000 mobile monitors and observers would be deployed mainly in areas identified as violence-prone. “We have also decided to invite 100 international monitors and we feel their presence is very important”, Mr. Rodrigo said. Meanwhile, the visiting European Union election assessment team told PAFREL it was concerned over the Government’s non-implementation of the EU recommendations submitted after the 2000 polls. At a meeting last week the EU members discussed the importance of monitoring the forthcoming polls with PAFREL . At the conclusion of the last election, the EU made 15 recommendations and urged the Government to implement them in order to ensure a free and fair poll in future. Though the Government appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee to study the recommendations and bring about necessary changes, no further action could be taken due to the dissolution of parliament. Restrictions have been placed on the number of political or independent party supporters turning up at Elections Secretariat on Friday. A maximum of ten persons would be allowed to accompany each candidate. However, only the candidate and two others would be allowed entry. Supporters would be accommodated in a separate enclosure from where they could watch the proceedings on television. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
