News
11 incidents of violence and 1104 violations so far in runup to General Elections
View(s):By- Ishu Bandara
Police until yesterday reported 33 incidents of violence and 155 violations related to the upcoming General Elections since September 24.
A total of 207 individuals have been arrested, including 6 candidates and 201 supporters. Additionally, 49 private vehicles have been seized for violating election laws and being used in unlawful activities.
Among the 207 individuals arrested, 40 are from the Western Province, 19 from the Southern Province, 6 from the Uva Province, 2 from the Central Province, 11 from the Sabaragamuwa Province, 38 from the Northern Province, 1 from the Eastern Province, and 22 each from the North Central and Northwestern Provinces.
Police reports state that nationwide 43,681 posters and 15,643 banners, handbills, flags, and stickers have been confiscated for being used in violation of election laws.
According to reports from the Election Commission, there have been 11 incidents of violence and 1,104 violations across the country.
The Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake told the Sunday Times that most of the violations are minor incidents, which has contributed to the higher number of reported violations cited by them compared to those cited by the police.
“We have the authority to request the government to remove any public servant involved in the election who does not support its mission. This is how we approached the cabinet to request the removal of the Hambantota Government Agent from their position, a decision that had been pending for years, despite the new government’s lack of interest in taking action,” Mr. Ratnayake said.
“If we find that any government officer is unable to facilitate a fair election, we will not hesitate to call for their removal from the state. Our priority is to ensure that the best interests of the Sri Lankan voters are upheld, allowing for a successful election process. Most officers express concern when they are formally removed from their positions, yet they often fail to recognize how they were initially appointed through political appointments”, Mr. Ratnayake added.
The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) has documented a total of 15 incidents of violence, alongside 12 instances of the misuse of state resources. Additionally, they reported a significant 1,011 violations related to election campaigning in their recent assessments.
Mr. Manjula Gajanayake, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES), told the Sunday Times, “We have received 63 complaints, and of those, 3 incidents are significant. Our preparation focuses primarily on mobile visits, we are planning to deploy static observers in 25 districts. We will utilize 50 vehicles for mobile observation, with a total of 150 participants in these vehicles and also have gathered data from all 25 districts and have also established a ground campaign section.”
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