EC issues election guideline

By Skandha Gunasekara

The Elections Commission yesterday establishing a set of guidelines to be followed for the upcoming Local Government Election, declaring that each electorate would be allowed only one office per political party and that all propaganda for that electorate must be limited to the party office premises.

Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara, addressing the media at the Elections Commission soon after discussions with the Chairman of the Elections Commission, said that all propaganda for the electorate could only be carried out at the designated party office. 

He went on to say that canvassing with large groups has been curtailed to a maximum of 10 individuals.

“If a group exceeds 10 people it will be considered an unlawful public gathering,” he said.

 In addition, SP Gunasekara said the Elections Commission had given the police authority to arrest any individual and vehicle campaigning if driven without proper licenses for campaign activities.

“In such cases we have been authorised to arrest even without a warrant,” SP Gunasekara said. 

A special hotline has been set up where female candidates can lodge complaints, the police spokesman revealed, and that subsequent investigations into any complaints made to the hotline would come under the direct supervision of the Children and Women’s Affairs Division of the police. 

Furthermore, SP Gunasekara said that all election posters, flags and cut-out have been banned and that the Elections Commission had permitted the deployment of 1,400 labourers to assist with the clean-up activities relating to illegal election posters and cut-outs.

The Elections Commission yesterday held discussions with political party leaders, secretaries and representatives along with the Police regarding guidelines to be followed at the forthcoming elections.

UNP Minister Ajith P. Perera, addressing the media, pointed out that a total of 71,000 candidates would be contesting this election, claiming that it could be a Guinness World Record.  “This is the largest number of candidates in any Lankan election, probably at any world election. It is a Guinness World Record,” he said, while remarking that the UNP was fielding 10,000 candidates, the largest of any political party in the country. 

SLFP Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that the SLFP has 8,000 candidates contesting the LG polls.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna member Basil Rajapaksa told the media that his party would not be issuing a manifesto but would issue a set of principles which would empower local government.

Additionally, Rajapaksa said that the unification of the SLFP and SLPP at local government councils would be decided by the masses.