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The election which reported the highest number of complaints in the history ...with violence, damage to property and misuse of government property ... begins
The last monitoring reports from CaFFE in relation to the NW, North and Central province PC elections to be conducted today has been released this morning. The CaFFE reports that this election recorded the highest number of complaints at an election monitored so far after the inception of the organisation where 579 complaints were reported to them during the entire election period till 6 p.m. on September 20th. They mention that this was a pre-election period which was full of incidents relating to firearms, damage to property, conflicts within the same party, threats and misuse of government property.
The largest number of incidents of violence of an influential nature in the North, NW and Central province were reported from NE and Jaffna districts. Since the very beginning of the elections there had been a series of conflicts taking place between 2 factions of the same party in Kurunegala while it was during the last 2 weeks prior to the election that violence had erupted in the Puttalam district over election activities. CaFFE mentions that election propaganda rules had not come into force in Gampola, Nawalapitiya and Harispaththuwa in the Kandy district while election rules were not safeguarded in areas including Nikaweratiya, Mawathagama, Bingiriya and Polgahawela and that election propaganda activities had been in operation in areas of Rattota, Matale and Wilgamuwa even during the night prior to the election.
There had been incidents where attacks had been made on residents of Ravimanis Rajapaksha and Macky Fernando of Nainamaduwa West who were supporters of the UNP. These attacks were launched towards dawn on the nights of September 21st. The UNP complains that a group of people who had arrived in the company of a UPFA parliament member had made this attack.
An attack between Rishak Badurdeen and the MC had taken place around 7.30 on the night of September 20th in Talaimannar area in Mannar. This incident is supposed to have occured when supporters of Rishak Badurdeen, member of parliament when attempting to distribute food items.
In the process, a programme on a survey of releasing the votes by CaFFE is in progress today.
CaFFE has already deployed 820 monitoring personnel for the Northern Province PC elections. This group comprises of well experienced persons. They have been deployed in a mannr that the provincial secretariat division is covered and surveillance activities were conducted through special mobile vehicles.
480 such personnel for the Central Province and 440 for the NW had been deployed in this respect.
The Election Department has so far not given a satisfactory response to CaFFE to count the votes. If the Election Department was to grant permission for the counting of votes, CaFFE has already made arrangements for this purpose too.
National organiser Ahamad Manas of CaFFE says that elections in the North would be carried out in a peaceful manner. Except for a solitary incident reported from Kilinochchi last night and 8 incidents of violation of propaganda rules, there were no other incidents reported from the Northern district upto now.
What Mr. Harendra Banagala, attorney-at-Law of CaFFE who is stationed in Vavuniya too says is that the situation in Vavuniya is peaceful. Today too a programme is being launched by CaFFE in Killinochchi and Mannar districts with the purpose of creating an understanding among the voting public not to entertain any fear because the elections are to be held in a manner that it safeguards their secrecy of voting and to go to the voting centres early in the morning carrying a valid national identity card.
Though some individuals in the Madhu area of Mannar district have not received their voting sheets, co-ordinating officer of the North in CaFFE, Mr. Tilak Samantha had instructed that it would not be a hamper in casting their vote. By now, a peaceful environment dominates Jaffna, Killinochchi and Mullaitivu.
Data reports of complaints made are as follows:
SUMMARY OF COMPLAINTS AS AT 21-09-2013
Violation of election rules: Deployment of government employees and public property and appointments and transfers -- 201 -- 35%
Propaganda activities -- 276 -- 48%
Police and army intervention -- 07 -- 1%
Other -- 35 -- 6%
Total -- 519 -- 90%
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Incidents of violence: Damages to property and propaganda activities -- 19 -- 3%
Incidents of assault and threat -- 41 -- 7%
Total --- 60 -- 10%
Final total - 579 -- %
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Violation of election rules Acts of violence Total %
Jaffna 27 10 37 6%
Killinochchi 19 1 20 3%
Mannar 10 1 11 2%
Vavuniya 12 1 13 2%
Mullaitivu 6 0 6 1%
Other -- North 10 0 10 2%
Total 84 3 97 17%
Kandy 80 12 92 16%
Nuwara eliya 67 10 77 13%
Matale 84 6 90 16%
Other -- Central 11 0 11 2%
Total -- Central 242 28 270 47%
Kurunegala 128 13 141 24%
Puttalam 59 5 64 11%
Other -- NW 6 1 7 1%
Total -- NW 193 19 212 37%
Full total 519 60 579 %