Polling peaceful overall

Polling peaceful overall
Bid to disrupt polling in Jaffna aborted
Fonseka’s failure to vote not a problem, say Ranil, ex – CJ
by Shamindra Ferdinando and Norman Palihawadana

Contrary to fears expressed, the first peacetime presidential election, following the defeat of the LTTE last May, was held yesterday (January 26) without any serious incidents of violence, though some elements made an abortive bid to disrupt polling in the Jaffna peninsula.

The police and the military said that heavy presence of law enforcement personnel backed by security forces had ensured a peaceful environment. Independent Election monitors, too, said the election had been largely free and fair though they had received about three dozen complaints.

The Election Secretariat said that polling had been brisk in almost all in areas outside the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Sources said that overall voter-turn out was expected to be around 70 per cent though in areas previously held and dominated by the LTTE, it was low.

The government deployed over 100,000 officers and men to provide security.

The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) said that an unidentified person had carried out a grenade attack on the home of Subramanium Sharma, SLFP Uduppidi coordinator at 3.30 a.m. on Tuesday. Sharma was quoted by the CMEV as saying that he had received threats last Saturday (January 23) not to vote.

Five persons were killed in pre-poll clashes, according to the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence.

Security officials and the CMEV said that explosions had been reported from Nallur, Manipay, Vaddukoddai, Chavakachcheri and Tellipillai in the Jaffna peninsula though there were no injuries or deaths among the civilian community. They said that a bicyle, a tea kiosk and a shop were damaged.

The CMEV expressed concern over the absence of transport as promised by Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake to facilitate the war displaced to reach polling booths.


Government sources told The Island that the Election Secretariat had made all possible arrangements to ensure the internally displaced received free transport.

Sources said that some critics had conveniently forgotten the environment in which the last presidential election was conducted in November 2005.

Recalling early presidential polls, President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared that he wanted to give an opportunity to Tamil speaking people to exercise their franchise as the LTTE had sabotaged the previous poll.

The island