The CMEV wishes to express its grave concern over continuing reports of election-related violence since the conclusion of the General Elections of 5th December, 2001.

Reports of murders, and attacks on individuals and property, including several incidents of grievous hurt, threat and intimidation, have come in from almost every District. The worst affected Districts are Kandy, Gampaha, Kurunegala, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Kegalle, with the murders being reported from Kandy, Matale, the Vanni and Moneragala.

Crucial to and a fundamental part of any democratic process is the peaceful handing over of power to the party which wins the General Elections. All political leaders have a responsibility in ensuring that this transition proceeds without acts of retaliation and revenge. The persistence of violence despite the repeated appeals made by both the President and the Prime Minister elect reflects the gravity of the situation.

We appeal to leaders of all political parties to issue an immediate call to their members and supporters to desist from engaging in any type of violence, and to warn them that such acts will not only have dire consequences for the perpetrators, but will also undermine democracy in Sri Lanka.

In particular we appeal to the President to ensure that the armed forces and the Police take immediate action to maintain law and order, and to uphold the Rule of Law. At the same time we appeal to the Prime Minister elect, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, to fulfil his responsibilities in guaranteeing the safety of all citizens and in ensuring a peaceful transition to the new political culture promised by him and his party during the General Election campaign.

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