News
Misuse of state resources stands out among poll violations
View(s):By Ishu Bandara
The Election Commission and monitoring groups are continuing to receive complaints on election law violations, along with a few incidents of violence.
The Election Commission had received 457 complaints, as of August 15, while PAFFREL (People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections) and the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) had reported 130 and 67 complaints, respectively.
Most complaints involved the misuse of public property and the involvement of public officers in promoting presidential candidates.
The Ministry of Estate Infrastructure Development and the President’s Office have been implicated in the misuse of public resources, according to complaints reported to the Election Commission and other observation teams.
PAFFREL executive director Rohana Hettiarachchi told the Sunday Times: “We have reported 130 cases, six of which involve violence, though none is major.
Aside from the violence, the most concerning issues are violations related to the misuse of government resources and power. We’ve received complaints of serious assault, intimidation, threats, and attacks on political parties as well.”
One particular concern is a recent Cabinet decision on August 13 to increase the salaries of government officials by Rs 25,000 next year.
Mr Hettiarachchi criticised this decision, arguing that it should be determined by the next president and included in the 2025 budget. He noted that some trade unions had protested in the past two months for Rs10,000 salary increment, which the government had said was unaffordable.
This sudden change in policy, Mr Hettiarachchi suggested, seems to be an attempt to influence the upcoming election, leading PAFFREL to complain to the Election Commission, Mr Hettiarachchi said.
Other reported violations include the Southern Province governor appointing government school teachers, the Road Development Authority’s authorisation to build 1,000 kilometres of roads on August 13, and the distribution of items by the Attanagalla District Secretariat on August 14.
EC has been notified of many violations for further investigation, and some have already been halted by the commission.
A notable incident occurred on August 16, when a government vehicle (WP KX 815) belonging to the Agricultural Department, was reportedly misused to promote a presidential candidate. PAFFREL confirmed that this case was reported to the EC.
Manjula Gajanayake, executive director of Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies, also highlighted the issue, stating that of the 67 complaints they have received, 52 are major violations involving the misuse of public property and the involvement of public officers in electioneering.
“The Secretary to the Health Ministry made appointments, but the Election Commission intervened and halted them. During this period, the Election Commission has shown commendable efforts by promptly addressing complaints and sending the relevant authorities to investigate. Compared to previous elections, the commission has gone above and beyond by convening a meeting with all Ministry Secretaries to provide guidelines, which is highly appreciated,” Mr Gajanayake said.
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