Praise for peaceful poll

Friday, 9 January 2015 04:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Dharisha Bastians Top elections and law enforcement officials hailed yesterday's poll as one of the most peaceful in the history of presidential contests in Sri Lanka, with brisk voting and high turnouts recorded in most districts across the country. Despite fears about military deployment preventing people from voting, the Tamil majority Northern Province recorded significantly high voter turnouts, district officials and polls monitors noted. Three grenade explosions and some reports of disenfranchisement due to transport concerns were reported by police and election observers, but the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) observed that there had been no incidents significant enough to influence the result at yesterday's poll.

"There were no serious incidents. No violence. So we will not hold a re-poll at any polling division," Polls Chief Mahinda Deshapriya told reporters after polls closed last evening. "In spite of major concerns raised about troops preventing people from voting, I am happy to note that no such incidents were reported today," the Elections Commissioner said. Deshapriya reported that there had been three grenade explosions in Jaffna and Vavuniya. Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said no injuries or damages were reported in the incidents close to three polling stations in Alwayi, Point Pedro and Nelumkulama, Vavuniya. In a bid to instil faith in the electoral process, the Commissioner charged that claims about ballot boxes being exchanged with fake boxes were completely false. "That is a blatant lie and we urge the people not to be misled. There is provision to do this," Deshapriya said. The explosion in Point Pedro took place about 800 metres away from the Alwayi polling station. The second explosion later in the evening took place at Kalemaigar Vidyalaya in Nelumkulama when a grenade was thrown into the school grounds. A third grenade exploded near Tamil Vidyalaya, Vavuniya.

"There were no serious incidents. No violence. So we will not hold a re-poll at any polling division - Polls Chief Mahinda Deshapriya

We have just concluded the most peaceful presidential election in 30 years - Military Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya The polling has been relatively incident free - Co-Coordinator of the Centre for Policy Alternatives Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu"

SSP Rohana said voting in the polling stations had not been affected by the explosions with both stations reporting over 60% turnout. As results start to emerge overnight, Commissioner Deshapriya urged people to remain calm and accommodate other political points of view without resorting to violence. Lines to vote were long in polling stations around Colombo and suburbs. Voters leaving polling stations noted corruption, wastage, injustice and continued development and securing the country from foreign influences as key factors in yesterday's contest. Co-Coordinator of the Centre for Policy Alternatives Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu said the turnout seemed to be "healthy and robust." "The polling has been relatively incident free," Dr. Saravanamuttu noted, despite some incidents of threat and intimidation of voters and grenade attacks in the north. Polls Chief Deshapriya declined to provide voter turnout figures until counting was concluded but acknowledged that there had been high turnouts witnessed in Colombo and the suburbs.