ALL ILLEGAL ELECTION OFFICES OF MONERAGALA SHOULD BE REMOVED
2014-09-07
2014-09-07
Although the authorities have only given permission to operate 219 election offices for the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in Moneragala district, the UPFA candidates maintain over 970 election offices, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) has observed.
Two UPFA offices at Raja Mawatha, Buttala, Kataragama were attacked last night bringing the number of attacks on election offices in Moneragala to 52. Since most election related violence occur due to illegal election offices, violence will escalate if these structures are not removed.
Elections Commissioner has authorized 163 offices for the United National Party (UNP,) 73 offices for the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP,) 105 for Eksath Lanka Party and 133 for the Labour Party. In addition a number of independent groups are also allowed to operate election offices.
Due to the continuous attacks the UNP and the JVP are not even maintaining the number of authorized offices. However the UPFA maintains over 970 offices, most of them just temporary structures used for propaganda purposes.
Officers attached to the Elections Department removed around 320 offices in Moneragala on September 5 and 6 when police have not removed a single illegal election office in Moneragala.
CaFFE has received 264 complaints by September 7, 2014, out of which 193 are from Moneragala 56 incidents have been reported from Badulla and 15 complaints are common to both districts.
Media Unit – CaFFE
Two UPFA offices at Raja Mawatha, Buttala, Kataragama were attacked last night bringing the number of attacks on election offices in Moneragala to 52. Since most election related violence occur due to illegal election offices, violence will escalate if these structures are not removed.
Elections Commissioner has authorized 163 offices for the United National Party (UNP,) 73 offices for the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP,) 105 for Eksath Lanka Party and 133 for the Labour Party. In addition a number of independent groups are also allowed to operate election offices.
Due to the continuous attacks the UNP and the JVP are not even maintaining the number of authorized offices. However the UPFA maintains over 970 offices, most of them just temporary structures used for propaganda purposes.
Officers attached to the Elections Department removed around 320 offices in Moneragala on September 5 and 6 when police have not removed a single illegal election office in Moneragala.
CaFFE has received 264 complaints by September 7, 2014, out of which 193 are from Moneragala 56 incidents have been reported from Badulla and 15 complaints are common to both districts.
Media Unit – CaFFE
