The Election Monitors PAFFREL yesterday said the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha Election was held in a very peaceful atmosphere under the guidance of the Election Commission.
“Following a Presidential Election and a General Election scheduled for the following month, a local level election was witnessed with less number of complaints and incidents,” PAFFREL said, issuing their report of the election.
PAFFREL had deployed 48 Stationary Observers on the Election Day and two Mobile Observation Teams covered a sizable portion of the polling stations in Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha area.
PAFFREL had received only two complaints which were confirmed, one regarding a preventing a voter from casting a vote using a certified letter issued by the Registration of Persons Department instead of the National Identity Card at a polling station situated in Batuwanhena in Elpitiya.
A voter also complained that someone else had already cast her vote in connection with her name when she went to the polling station set up at Pituwala in Elpitiya.
However, PAFFREL noted there were no unusual incidents or circumstances reported in the pre-election period and on the election day that significantly affected the polling. There were no complaints and incidents reported to PAFFREL on acts of violence and abuse of state power, resources, and employees from the pre-election period to election day.
As noted by the Mobile Observers and Stationary Observers deployed by PAFFREL on the polling day, there were no malpractices in polling stations. With very few exceptions, the polling stations also included sufficient amenities for those with disabilities.
No incidents were reported on illegal election campaigns, illegal public gatherings, intimidation, threats over voters, polling agents, and election officers and influencing, transportation of voters, banning of polling stations, assaults, using force to turn voters away from polling stations, vote rigging, seize ballot boxes and papers, illegal election campaigns.
The preparation of the counting centres was much soothing and disciplined.
Election Observers from other Election Observation Organisations also appeared in some counting centres. Transparency was maintained at counting centres, and ballot boxes were in perfect condition.
Nearly every polling station guaranteed a free and fair election with the comprehensive direction and guidance of ECSL and the sufficient protection offered by Sri Lanka Police.
Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha Election took place on Saturday (26) peacefully. A total of 55,643 persons were eligible to cast their vote through 48 polling stations. With the legal intervention due to the rejection of the nomination paper submitted by the Democratic United National Front (DUNF) for the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha in the Local Government Election 2018, the party’s candidates filed a fundamental rights petition.
The Supreme Court thereupon ordered an interim injunction that prevented the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha election from taking place until the matter was settled. The election was finally held in 2019 with a significant voter turnout. The term of the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha was supposed to end by March 6, 2024. However, through a special gazette, the council members’ mandates were extended until November 4, 2024. The Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) announced last August that the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha Election would be held on October 26, 2024.
For the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha Election 2024, 279 candidates from eight Political Parties and one Independent Group ran for 28 wards.
The National People’s Power (NPP) obtained a total of 17,295 votes and secured 15 seats. Out of 36,305 valid votes, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) received 7,294 with six seats, The Sri Lanka Poduhana Peramuna (SLPP) obtained 3,597 with three seats, People’s Alliance received 2,612 with two seats, Independent Group secured two seats with 2,568, The People’s United Freedom Alliance (PUFA) received 1,305 votes with one seat, and National People’s Party won one seat with 521 votes. Neither the Janasatha Peramuna (JP) nor the Devena Parapura (DP) were able to win any seats.
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