The campaign for the Presidential Election of November 17, 2005 officially closes at midnight on Monday November 14.

On November 17, 13,327,160 persons are due to go to the polls which will be held in 10486 polling stations throughout the country. In the north and east persons living in Jaffna and in areas under LTTE control in other parts of the north and east will cast their votes at cluster polling stations located in government controlled areas in the Districts of Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee (21), Mannar (11) and Batticaloa (88).

CMEV is presently fielding 164 election monitors in each one of the Polling Divisions. They have been filing reports regarding the situation in their respective areas regularly over the past three weeks. On election day, CMEV will field 4500 local monitors island wide, except in areas under LTTE control. In addition, CMEV is fielding 17 international monitors who have all been deployed in the north and east.

In the weeks since October 7, which signaled the start of the election campaign, CMEV has received a total of 389 complaints of election related violence as at midnight on Sunday November 13. Of these, 134 were classified as major incidents, which include murder, attempted murder, arson and causing grievous hurt and 255 as minor incidents that include threats and damage to property. This represents a substantial reduction from figures for previous elections. For example, in the Presidential elections of 1999 CMEV had recorded a total of 1483 incidents of election related violence, including 712 major incidents, in the pre-election period.

During the period from October 7 to November 13, CMEV has recorded 3 murders, 3 attempted murders, 1 case of grievous hurt, 5 cases of arson and 1 case of abduction which have been linked to the election process. Of the 3 murders, one was committed in Trincomalee, one in Digamadulla and the third in Colombo. All three victims were supporters of the EPDP which is supporting the campaign of Prime Minister Rajapakse. Of them, one, Mr. Abubakr Sahabdeen, was the Potuvil organizer for the EPDP, while another was a senior EPDP member, V. Rasanayagam.

The reduction in number of incidents of election-related violence is something to be welcomed, as it indicates a better response from political parties and their supporters to the repeated appeals from civil society groups to desist from resorting to violence as a part of political strategy. It also reflects the strong position taken by the Commissioner of Elections who has reiterated that he will not hesitate to invalidate the polls in any polling station from which irregularities or incidents of violence are reported.

On Sunday November 13, CMEV received three reports of election related violence which, however, point to the fact that the potential for acts of violence taking place within the remaining days before the election, as well as in the post-election period remains something that calls for our constant vigilance. In one incident, Police teargassed a gathering of UNP supporters at Viharagoda in Badulla on the grounds that it was an illegal gathering. One woman civilian was injured and hospitalized with a broken arm as a result of this incident. In the second incident, in Deraniyagala, the SLFP organizer for the area, H.R. Mithrapala, was injured during a clash between supports of the UNP and the UPFA near the central bus-stand in Deraniyagala. The Police have declared an unofficial curfew in Deraniyagala for the night of the 13th. The third incident was the murder of EPDP leader Rasanayagam close to his home in Colombo on the night of the 13th.

The situation in the north and east is also a cause of concern, with regard to the conduct of a free and fair poll. There are 952,324 registered voters in the north and 953,936 in the east, according to the 2004 electoral register. Continuing incidents of politically motivated violence in these areas over the past months and throughout the election campaign period have created a deep sense of insecurity in the public which will undoubtedly act as a constraint in terms of the voter turn out. In addition, the logistics of arranging sufficient transport for those due to cast their votes in the ‘cluster’ polling stations in the north and east, as well as of preventing impersonation in cases where no identity papers are available with the persons claiming their vote present a range of potential problems. On the 11th, CMEV received two reports that two postmen in Meesalai in Jaffna District had polling cards snatched from them by unidentified persons. Compaints in this regard have also been filed at the Chavakachcheri Police from These acts can both deprive citizens of their vote as well as pave the way for stuffing of ballot boxes by interested parties.

CMEV reiterates its call to all political parties to ensure that the conduct of the Presidential polls on November 17 takes place free of violence and violations of election laws and in an atmosphere that enables all citizens to exercise their franchise freely and fairly.

CMEV was formed in 1997 by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), the Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Coalition Against Political Violence as an independent and non-partisan organisation to monitor the incidence of election related violence.

Dr. P. Saravanamuttu Co-Convenor	Sunila Abeysekera Co-Convenor	Seetha Ranjani Co-Convenor