Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has appealed to all political parties to help create an environment that would be conducive to holding a free and fair Presidential Election on Tuesday, January 26.
“We are at the end of a vigorous Presidential Election campaign which was marred by a series of violent incidents,” TISL executive director J. C. Weliamuna said in a statement issued yesterday.
“Having watched the intensity of the election campaign closely, we urge the two key candidates that it is their responsibility to ensure there will not be post-election violence at any level in any part of the country,” he said.
“Being the first election to be held in all parts of the country following the dawn of peace, an extra burden lies with the government and the Elections Commissioner to ensure that facilities are provided for voters in the North and East to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
If in any way this right is hampered, a sense of uneasiness may result, leading to ethnic tension in the country. “It is our fervent hope that the voters, the political parties, the security forces, the police and the government will extend their utmost cooperation to the Elections Commissioner and his staff in conducting a peaceful election.“We appeal to the election staff to conduct the polls according to their conscience and strictly following the law.”
TISL is a national chapter of Transparency International (TI), a global initiative against corruption. |
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