Election monitors said that although the campaign leading up to yesterday’s North Central and Sabaragamuwa provincial council elections was marked by violence, the election itself was relatively free of major incidents.
The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) received 71 complaints of election-related violence yesterday, said CaFFE spokesperson Keerthi Tennakoon.
He said only a few incidents could be described as major. Among them was an attack on JVP candidate Dhammika Jayawardena by a group of thugs. Mr. Jayawardena was on his way to cast his vote in Galnewa, in Anuradhapura. Following the attack, while Mr. Jayawardena was in the police station, the gang had gone to his home and destroyed his house, Mr. Tennakoon he added.
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Last evening a minor clash was reported between an UPFA group and a JVP group in Pinnawala, and a vehicle belonging to a JVP supporter was damaged. In another incident, reported from Weeoya, in Yatiyantota, one person was injured when three houses in the area came under attack.
Yesterday afternoon, in Weligamuwa, Rambukkana, in the Kegalle district, election monitor Sampath Kumara of the Human Development Centre, was admitted to hospital after being attacked by unidentified persons.
Of the total number of incidents reported to CaFFE, 10 were cases of assault; 22 of threats and intimidation, and 36 of election law violations, such as the distribution of propaganda cards. Twenty-two of the cases were reported from Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, 15 from Kegalle, and 12 from Ratnapura.
“The election campaign was violent. However, this was an election that defeated and resisted violence with the active participation of the people,” Mr. Tennakoon said. “We have seen the victory of people who actively intervened, resisted and expressed their desire to end election violence. Even the actions of people outside the two provinces have partially contributed to this achievement.”
Chairman of the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), Kingsley Rodrigo said the elections were conducted in a largely free and fair manner, compared with the campaign leading up to the elections.
“The events during the time of voting on election day were in contrast to the period of the election campaign, in which the intensity of the contest between the rival political parties took on the character of a mini war,” Mr. Rodrigo said. “In the final three days, there was a sudden spike in the number of violations reported, which took the figure from 128 to 191.”
The All Party Monitoring Centre set up by PAFFREL at the Election Secretariat received 73 complaints, according to PAFFREL representative, Thusitha Aluthpatabadige.
Among major incidents reported was an attack on the vehicle of UNP candidate Prasanna Mahindaratne in Thabuththegama. “In the morning we received reports of TMVP cadres chasing away UNP supporters who had come to cast their votes in the Welikanda area”, he said.
There were also complaints that UPFA supporters had chased away people who had come to cast their votes in the Galnewa, Padawiya and Kegalle areas.
A propaganda campaign for an UPFA candidate took place in Kitulgala Road, Yatiyantota yesterday morning, he added.
D. M. Dissanayake, media co-ordinator for the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), said the CMEV had received reports of 43 incidents of violence. These included cases of threat and intimidation, the seizing of polling cards, the chasing away of polling agents, and the snatching of identity cards. Armed TMVP cadres had allegedly chased away Muslims who had come to cast votes at the Palliyagodella Muslim Junior College polling booth yesterday morning, Mr. Dissanayake said.
In Balangoda, unidentified groups had allegedly stolen polling cards of JVP supporters who had come to cast their votes, he said. “There were also complaints that supporters of Mahindananda Aluthgama had chased away a UNP polling agent in Mawanella,” he said.
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