10.5.2008
Ballot boxes being taken to the polling booths.
Picture by Dudley Wickramasinghe
Voters
in the East go to the polls today to elect 37 members
to the first Provincial Council election to the delinked
Eastern Province in the aftermath of the liberation of
the east from the LTTE.
Authorities
said all arrangements are in place for a free and fair
election with a 20,000 strong contingent of security personnel
and 15,000 polls officers to man the election.
Voting
will take place in 1,070 polling centres spanning three
districts, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara with the
number of eligible voters totaling 982,721.
A
record number of 1,342 candidates are in the fray from
18 political parties and 73 independent groups.
Election
authorities said voters would be allowed to cast their
ballot from 7.00 am to 4.00 pm at registered polling centres.
Voters
who have not received or have misplaced their polling
cards could obtain the ballot paper by producing a valid
identification document, approved by Authorities.
Authorities
have made the ID compulsory to obtain the ballot paper
at this election and have issued a list of identity documents
from which the production of one would suffice to qualify
for voting.
These
are the National ID, Passport, Driving Licence, Postal
ID, Railway Ticket ID, Pensioners ID, an ID with a Photo
legally issued by a Government Authority, Bhikku ID, ID
issued for local polls 2006 and 2008 or a temporary ID
issued by Grama Niladari countersigned by DS.
According
to these authorities stringent measures are to be taken
in the case of serious violations of election laws and
steps taken to annul the poll in polling stations where
serious violations occur that could have a significant
impact on the result.
A
senior official of the Elections Department said the decision
regarding such action would be taken by the Commissioner
of Elections after a careful study. According to Police,
a comprehensive security dragnet had been thrown over
the entire province with more than 20,000 officers placed
on duty.
Five
officers are to be attached to every polling station in
the Province, in addition to conducting mobile patrols
and erecting special road blocks.
Strict
orders have also been given to all officers to protect
law and order and if necessary use force to prevent any
misdeeds Authorities said.
The
main election watch dog in the country, PAFFREL is set
to deploy over 2,500 observers on election day which would
include a team of international monitors.
In
addition, PAFFREL has opened three co-ordinating offices
in the districts with two observers deployed to man each
polling station.
PAFFREL
said they had received 85 complaints so far regarding
election malpractices but admitted that most were trivial
in nature.
The
CMEV and CAFFE are also to join PAFFREL in the election
monitoring process on the D-Day, enhancing the manpower
of election observers.
PAFFREL
would include two members each for every polling station,
in addition to deploying mobile patrols, and they have
also set up four offices in the three districts to man
the poll, sources said.
DIG
Rienzie Perera said a 10,000 strong security contingent
would be used for polling duties in the Ampara district
which houses the largest number of voters 409,308.
In
Ampara, 6,578 officers would be used to man polling duties
said Assistant Commissioner L.D. Tennekoon, with 430 polling
centres been set up in the entire district.
Eleven
political parties and 22 independent groups have joined
the race with 403 candidates in the fray to grab 14 slots
at stake in the Ampara district.
According
to Tennekoon, all presiding officers had reported for
duty and the ballot boxes had been taken to respective
polling stations and also 30 counting centres had been
set up. The first election result expected to be released
before midnight.
According
to DIG H. M. D. Herath all measures are afoot to provide
adequate security for elections with over 6500 security
personnel being deployed on election day in Batticaloa.
Election
Authorities have planned to deploy over 5400 officers
on polling day in the Batticaloa district which accounts
for 330,950 voters where 11 seats are on offer for the
Eastern PC.
According
to Asst. Elections Commissioner for Batticaloa T. Krishnandalingam
all measures are in place for the conduct of the elections
with 362 polling centres in addition to 32 separate stations
been set up to cater to displaced voters numbering 2311.
Also
there are 29 counting centres in the district with the
first election result (postal votes) expected to be released
before midnight.
According
to Asst. Elections Commissioner for Trincomalee Bandara
Mapa over 3000 officers would be used for polling duties
with 278 centres being set up to cater to 242,463 voters
in the district.
Six
separate polling centres have been set up in Trincomlee
for IDP voters which would elect 10 members for the Eastern
PC out of 561 contestants who are in the fray.
According
to DIG Upali Gunasekera who mans election security in
the district only 15 related incidents of violence has
been reported so far with all of them being minor in nature.
The
election to appoint 37 members for the Eastern PC would
be conducted in the three districts on May 10 at 1070
polling centres, with a total of 1342 candidates in the
fray from 18 political parties and 73 independent groups.
The
first and the last election for the merged North-East
was held in 1988 and the administration led by chief Minister
Vartharaja Perumal was dissolved in 1990.
Since
then many significant changes have taken place in the
Eastern theatre.
Some
parts which was under LTTE control has been liberated
and the Government has launched a development revolution
to bring back East to its former glory.
As
a result of a successful plea brought before the Supreme
Court in 2006, the North and East which were amalgamated
into a single Province since 1988 were separated once
again into two Provinces.
Following
this the need for holding an election for the Eastern
Provincial Council emerged.
Thus,
the Provincial Council Election in the East is viewed
by many as one which has both political and historical
significance and also one which could change the path
of history in this country.
Courtesy:
Daily News