Election officials check backgrounds of local council candidates

The Election Commission has directed District Assistant Commissioners to check on the backgrounds of local council candidates contesting the upcoming local council elections to ascertain if any of them has criminal records.

The Commission's Director General R. M. A. L. Ratnayake said they would also verify if former public servants contesting the polls were doing so in keeping with the election law.

The new Local Authorities Act stipulates that Samurdhi officers and other such officers who have filed nominations should not have served in the area they are contest- ing from for at least a year. Public service staff officers have to quit their jobs or take no- pay leave if they wish to contest an election.

He said the election officials had been asked to ascertain whether any public officials were contesting in violation of the law.

Any candidate who wins a seat but is found to have violated the law would be disqualified and would lose the seat, according to the DG.

Mr. Ratnayaka said that in the case of candidates with criminal records, party general secretaries would be informed and asked to take action against such candidates.

People's Action for Free and Fair Elections ( PAFFREL) chief Rohana Hettiaratchchi said that in the Colombo, Ratnapura and Kegalle Districts, they had identified 56 candidates with criminal records.

He said they were taking action to make the voters aware of who these candidates were so that such candidates would not be elected.

He also said PAFREL had been informed there were around 100 public officials contesting the polls in violation of the Local Authorities Law.