A week after claims of alleged manipulation in the counting of preferential votes during the recently concluded General Elections, many of the aggrieved candidates have decided not to take any further action.
This was after they had spoken to President Mahinda Rajapaksa about the allegations.
Following the General Elections on April 8, many candidates in Districts such as Colombo, Galle, Puttalam and Nuwara-Eliya from various political parties complained that a large amount of their preferential votes had been ‘stolen’ or that they were denied entry to the counting centres along with their agents.
Further allegations were made that a few Ministers of the out-going Cabinet upon hearing news that they had not secured enough votes to re-enter Parliament, had used their influence and money to ‘steal’ votes from lesser known candidates of the same party.
Despite some of the allegedly victimised candidates being up in arms last week, most of them have now decided not to take further action against allegedly corrupt officials and the aforementioned Ministers as some candidates say that the President himself will look into the matter while others seem to have come to terms with their loss.
UPFA candidate from the Colombo District, Azath Sally, who claimed that he was ‘robbed’ of some 37,000 votes - after extensive campaigning which was endorsed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself who attended Sally’s Colombo Central meeting - has decided to leave the matter in the hands of the President who he claims will not let him down.
Mr. Sally says he was given the task of wooing the Muslim votes which he believes he has ccomplished.
“The President handed me this task and we managed to knock three Muslim UNP candidates out of the election while ensuring that Minister A.H.M. Fowzie was elected as a representative of the community. We were able to reduce 15% of the UNP voter base in Colombo so I have accomplished my task,” he said.
UPFA candidate Chandana Kathriarachchi who claimed that corrupt officials were to blame for his loss in the Colombo District also said that he had taken the matter up with the President and declined to make any further statements on the issue. Other candidates refused to comment stating possible retaliation from those in power.
Despite this several formal complaints had been made this week to the Elections Department regarding suspected manipulations at several counting centres. |
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