July 3, 2011/ By Franklin R.Satyapalan
Commissioner of Elections Mahinda Deshapriya told Political Party Secretaries on Friday that he could take action on hear say or their press releases or news reports in the media exposing any instances of interference by the Army in the election campaign for the forthcoming local elections in the North.
The Commissioner made the observation when the General Secretary of the UNP Tissa Attanayake as well as the General Secretary of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP) Tilvin Silva complained that political Party representatives were not being allowed by the government to campaign freely in the North.
The Commissioner also assured the Political Party Secretaries that he would do his utmost to ensure that the local elections were conducted in a free and fair manner on Saturday July 23, so that it may meet the expectations of the majority of the people in the country.
Also present were the General Secretary of the UPFA Minister Susil Premajayantha, General Secretary of the LSSP Minister Prof Tissa Vitharna, General Secretary of the United Socialist Alliance Siritunga Jayasuriya and several others.
The Commissioner said that if they substantiated their claims soon after they had complained to the Police he could take prompt action to inform the Defense authorities through the Inspector General of Police N. K. Illangakoon to take necessary action.
The meeting was held at the Elections Secretariat in Rajagiriya.
Deputy Commissioner of Elections (Administration ) M. M. Mohammed said that the Commissioner had stated that under the new provisions of the Local Government Elections Ordinance disabled voters should forward their applications before July 15 to permit someone else the authority to cast their vote at the forthcoming local elections.
Additional Commissioner of Elections(Provincial and Local) W.P.Sumanasiri requested those voters who do not have the National Identity Card or other Officially recognized Identity cards which are compulsory for voting purposes to forward their applications through their respective Grama Niladharis before July 13.
The Commissioner of Elections on Friday instructed Elections Secretariat officials to hand over the Postal voting packets to the Postal authorities on Friday for postal voting to take place on July 12.
Sumanasiri said that the forthcoming Local Elections would be held according to the Electoral Register for 2010 and around 3 million voters were eligible to cast their vote for the 64 local bodies being contested on July 23.
Deputy Commissioner Mohammed said that the Polling cards would be delivered on July 06 with Special delivery on Sunday July 10.
The Island
