January 6, 2015, 10:25 pm
by Zacki Jabbar
Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya yesterday assured the National Democratic Front’s (NDF) Presidential candidate Maithripala Srisena that he would take action against anyone violating the laws governing the conduct of tomorrows Presidential Election and would not hesitate to call a re-poll if the violence that had occurred in certain areas continued.
The Commissioner was responding to representations by a delegation headed by Sirisena during a meeting that was held at the Elections Secretariat. Among the others present at the meeting were UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, DP leader Sarath Fonseka ,ITAK Deputy General Secretary M.A.Sumanthiran,Chairman of the UNP Leadership Council Karu Jayasuriya and UNP Assistant Leader Ravi Karunanayake,informed sources said.
"The delegation raised several issues.The State media continuing to flout the ban on polls propaganda being disseminated after midnight on Monday.Agents of President Mahinda Rajapaksa distributing leaflets claiming that the symbol of the NDF’s Presidential candidate was not the Swan, that he had exited the election and the real candidate was another Sirisena with different initials whose name also appeared on the ballot paper",they noted adding that a request to halt the continuing government sponsored violence in certain parts of the country and ensure that the army was not permitted to patrol the streets during polling hours unless the situation really called for their presence was also made.
The sources said that Deshapriya while observing that he already knew what was happening assured that he would immediately write to State media institutions to halt its propaganda campaign in favour of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
If his directives were not followed and violence continued, Deshapriya emphasized that there would be a re-poll in the affected areas,the sources revealed.
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