“Bribing the voters at future elections will result in Perpetrator losing seat”

The High Court Judge (Monaragala), Ranga Dissanayake has delivered a landmark judgment yesterday (September 13) opening a new chapter in the history of elections in Sri Lanka.

This judgment has been given in respect of a case filed by PAFFREL in collaboration with loosing candidate and the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence against a candidate of one of the local government bodies in the Moneragala District for offering various kinds of bribes to the voters at the last local government elections.

The judgment declared the candidate who had purportedly won the seat by bribing the voters as null and void and accordingly he was removed by order of the Court and the candidate who had secured the next highest number of votes was ordered to be appointed to fill the vacant position.

This historic ruling will serve as a deterrent to future candidates in bribing the voters. Even if they continue to bribe, their election will be liable to be challenged subsequently.