Election law violations on the rise
BY Rathindra Kuruwita, Ruwan Laknath Jayakody and Menaka Indrakumar-2014-12-15
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Present political conditions indicate that the coming Presidential Election is to be one of the most keenly contested elections in recent times. In parallel there has been a glaring increase of major election law violations after President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared the election on 20 November. These election law violations are a serious threat to electoral integrity, election monitors claim. Integrity of the electoral process and what happens during the run up to the election plays a vital role in holding a free and fair election. Without electoral integrity, leaders and officials lack accountability to the public, public confidence in the election results is weakened, and the government lacks necessary legitimacy.