All set for free and fair poll
All arrangements have been made to ensure the voting rights of all on
January 26 and hold a free and fair poll, Elections Commissioner
Dayananda Dissanayaka told the media yesterday.
“Establishment of polling stations and providing other facilities for
internally displaced voters in the North and East have also been made to
allow them to exercise their right to vote satisfactorily,” Dissanayaka
added.
He said he accepted 45,732 applications of IDP voters who will be
facilitated at 89 cluster polling stations in eight administrative
districts in Northern and Eastern Provinces.
Arrangements have been made to operate 1,000 buses for IDP voters to
cluster polling centres from 7.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. with the assistance
of SLTB and private bus services. He said special officers will be
assigned at Vavuniya and Batticaloa to oversee activities in the
Northern province, especially facilities provided to the IDPs.
He said there are about 80.4 percent voters possessing National
Identity Cards and others who do not possess identity cards.
They have been advised to obtain temporary Identity Cards from the
Grama Nilad- aries.
Over 90 percent have whatever identity cards recognized at a polling
station to cast their votes, Dissanayaka said..
Identity cards issued by JPs will not be accepted, he said.
Not possessing an identity card will not be a problem for any voter
to cast their votes.
They can ask their ballot papers after examining the electoral
register with the assistance of the polling agents, he said.
Dissanayaka said no person will be able to enter the polling station
area declared within 500 square metre radius to the station except
staff, representatives and security personnel.
If any irregularities and violations against the election law occurs
the result of such polling station will be nullified. In such a case,
the total results can be delayed for another one week, he said.
There is no room to substitute fake ballot papers into ballot boxes.
Commenting on the assistance of the Police Department to control the
election violations, he said the situation has changed today compared to
the early days. -SW
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