All set for smooth General Election
Public screenings or outdoor crowd gatherings for election result viewing have been banned and the public are requested to remain at home during the period of announcing election results.
At a special media briefing yesterday (12) on the Parliamentary Election to be held on Thursday, November 14, the Election Commission (EC) stated that outdoor public screening on giant screens of election results and crowd gathering is strictly banned and for all people to stay indoors and view the election results in private at their homes.
Chairman of the Election Commission R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that measures have been taken by the police to prevent violence including brawls during public screening of election results and such screens and equipment will be removed and confiscated and the crowds gathered will be dispersed.
The Election Commission further stated that the public is not permitted to stay near polling stations or counting centres.
Voters who have not yet received their official polling cards for the 2024 Parliamentary Election have been requested to obtain them from the post office in their relevant areas of residence until November 14, the day of the election, or can also obtain a copy of the official polling card from the official website of the Election Commission under election e-services. It is not mandatory to have the polling card in order to cast the vote and the voters can cast their vote by producing valid proof of identity to verify their details in the 2024 voting register.
The Election Commission outlined the process for counting votes after all ballot boxes are transported to the counting centres in each district.
The EC Chairman said that counting of postal votes will begin at 4.15 pm on the Election Day and the counting of regular votes is expected to start around 7.15 pm depending on the time the ballot boxes will arrive at the counting centres.
The vote counting process will be conducted with the ballots in each box counted first, votes for each political party or independent group then to be tallied to determine the number of parliamentary seats allocated to each and finally, preferential votes for individual candidates to be counted with candidates securing the highest number of votes in their respective political parties or independent groups elected to parliament.
The results from each voting area and district will be announced only after they have been reviewed, validated and approved by the Election Secretariat, the EC Chairman said.
The Election Commission advised the public to refrain from taking photographs or videos of ballot papers or the voting process and also stated that it is strictly prohibited to carry weapons or be intoxicated while casting votes at the polling stations and that security officials deployed on duty will take necessary action against such individuals who violate election laws.
The use of firecrackers and any type of gatherings during the Election Day and during the time election results are announced is strictly prohibited and is deemed as a punishable offense by the Election Law, the EC Chairman said.
Any type of campaigning, canvassing or promoting candidates contesting for the General election during the silent period that is in effect since November 11 midnight for 48 hours until the day of election on November 14 is strictly banned and such individuals or groups engaged in such activities will be arrested by the Police, the EC Chairman said.
The EC Chairman said that it is mandatory for public and private organisations to grant leave for their employees to vote in the General Election and that leave must be decided based on the distance required for employees to travel in order to cast their vote.
The EC Chairman further said that if any incidents of vandalism are reported in connection with any of the polling stations, they will cancel the vote in the relevant polling station.
Police Media Spokesman Nihal Thalduwa explained the security details during the election and said that a new internet application will also be used for mobile patrols.
More than 20 foreign observers will be participating in the observation of the Parliamentary Election and they have already started their observations on the instructions of the Election Commission. The ballot boxes will be transported with the election officials to the relevant polling stations today (13).All schools in the country have been given holidays on November 13 and 14 due to the 2024 Parliamentary Election and the schools will re-open on November 18.
All necessary measures have been taken to conduct the 2024 Parliamentary Election on Thursday, November 14, from 7 am to 4 pm to elect 196 representatives through preferential votes and 29 representatives from the national list, to select 225 representatives for the new 10th Parliament with over 17.1 million voters eligible to cast their votes across 22 multi-seat constituencies and the new Parliament is expected to convene on November 21, 2024.
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