More than 1.7 million voters in the Southern Province will go to the polls next Saturday as one of the most colorful and controversial provincial election campaigns held this year draws to an end.
With a landslide victory almost guaranteed the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) , the party’s campaign has focused on the military victory against the LTTE, while the UNP and the JVP have focused on the corruption and waste by the government as well as the economic hardships faced by the people.
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| Election propaganda material brazenly set up in the immediate vicinity of the Kachcheri at Galle and Matara. |
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With massive government development projects underway particularly in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s hometown of Hambantota, government has carried out a high profile campaign with a large number of Ministers engaged in campaigning in the province.
Adding to the interest generated by the SPC election have been the antics of some of the candidates contesting the poll with much focus being directed on movie star turned politician Anarkali Akarsha and her now famous clash with a fellow UPFA candidate Nishantha Muthuhettigama.
Her complaints to the police against Muthuhettigama served both candidates well with both getting wide publicity in both the electronic and print media.
Some of the high profile candidates vying for a seat in the SPC include former CEO of Mihin Air Sajin Vas Gunawardene, former Airport and Aviation Authority Chairman Chandima Rasaputra, Kanchana Wijesekara, son of Minister Mahinda Wijesekera and former CID Chief D.W. Prathapasinghe all from the ruling party.
Amidst the fray there have been allegations by the UNP and the JVP that the police have been biased in cracking down on those violating election laws. The JVP petitioned the Human Rights Commission in this regards saying it was only JVP members who were accused of putting up posters and banners illegally while government members were getting away scot free.
Opposition parties allege members of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) had been involved in election activities --a charge strongly denied by the government.
Director General of the Media Centre for National Security Lakshman Hulugalle told journalists on Friday he especially denied the PSD was providing security to candidates or using PSD vehicles for election work.
Election monitors however allege violations of the election laws were going unchallenged.
Media spokesman for the election monitoring body CaFFE , Keerthi Tennekoon said since the Elections Commissioner was taking no action against violaters of election law at the forthcoming Southern provincial Council election, some of the candidates were brazenly breaching election laws.”
As such this election will go down in election history as one where election malpractice was permitted to be committed,” he said.
Of the three districts in the province, the largest number of registered voters were in the Galle district(761,815), followed by Matara (578,858) and Hambantota (421,186). The districts will elect 55 members to the Council with an additional two bonus seats up for grabs. |
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