CMEV is concerned about the potential for violence in the provincial council elections portended by the Murder in Kalawana, Ratnapura District and the incident involving Mr. Wijemuni Soyza in Bibila, Monaragala District. CMEV condemns the Murder of UPFA candidate Mohan Ellawela’s supporter Ananda Seneviratne and calls upon the Police to ensure that the perpetrators of this crime are speedily apprehended and brought to justice. We also call upon the political parties and in the case of the Bibila incident, the UPFA in particular, to ensure that candidates desist from acts of violence and from obstructing the Police in their duty in ensuring compliance with election laws. Party discipline and cooperation with the Police and election officials are basic requirements for a free and fair election.

Violence and malpractice free Provincial Council elections will be the clearest indication that the propitious trend identified in the April 2004 General Election in respect of violence and malpractice, can be sustained and the integrity of the electoral process strengthened.

Profile of Violence

Of a cumulative total of 144 incidents, 18 (12.5 %) have been classified as Major Incidents. This includes 01 Murder in the Ratnapura District, 01 Attempted Murder in the Anuradhapura district, 04 incidents of Hurt, 10 Assaults and 02 cases of Arson in various districts of the 06 provinces.

Of the 126 incidents of violence classified as Minor Incidents, 116 are identified as election offences. Of this the most number of incidents are recorded in the Western province with 21 in the Colombo District. However there have been 37 incidences of election offences in Badulla District, making it the district with highest number of elections related offenses. Furthermore, CMEV has recorded 04 incidents involving use of firearms and 6 individual threats.

The UPFA is identified as the alleged perpetrator of violence in 72 (50 %) incidents. The corresponding figure for the UNF is 50 (34%) and in 16 other incidents of violence the party affiliation of the alleged perpetrator is unknown.

Postal Voting

During the 23rd and 24th of June, CMEV conducted a comprehensive monitoring effort of postal voting in all 6 provinces. While 57 Field monitors covered approximately 240 polling centers in 11 Districts, the CMEV secretariat dispatched 4 mobile teams to observe 65 polling centers in the Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara Districts.

So far, CMEV has recorded 10 incidents relating to postal voting and some of these include the delays and alleged malpractices involving the application process and the transport of applications.

However, one notable incident on the day of the postal vote is an incident in the Medagama Police Station, in the Bibila Polling Division of the Monaragala District. According to OIC Ajith Ratnawera, UPFA candidate Mr. Gamini Vijith Vijayamuni Soyza a former MP and Deputy Minister entered the Police station on the 24th June, interrupted the postal voting process and threatened him and other officers present.

It is further alleged that this was over an incident involving the removal of Mr. Soyza’s posters in the Madagama town, by the police the previous night.

Following a complaint made by the OIC, the Wellawaya Magistrate Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr.Soyza, on the grounds of the death threat allegedly made by him to the OIC.

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 organization to monitor the incidence of election related violence.

Dr. P. Saravanamuttu Co-Convenor	Sunila Abeysekera Co-Convenor	Sundanda Deshapriya Co-Convenor