Unexpectedly high turnout at local council polls
Four major party leaders confident of victory
The polls to elect members to 341 local councils concluded yesterday, with around 70 percent of the 15.8 million registered voters casting their votes, an Election Department official said.
The election, the first to be conducted under a new electoral system, drew more than an expected number of voters, setting the stage for a close contest between the major political parties. In almost all districts, the percentage of voting was higher than the percentage at the 2012 local council elections.
In the Northern Province, elections to some local councils were being held after a lapse of nearly 40 years. Here too the voting was high with a turnout of around 70 percent.
Police strictly enforced election laws, leading
to the arrest of 39 people, including eight candidates while five others were arrested for photographing the ballot paper after marking it.
Election monitoring groups said yesterday's elections were largely free of violence while voters too showed a keener interest.
The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) said it had received 145 complaints, of which 22 were major complaints. The People’s Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) said it had received 141 complaints, including the assault of candidates and supporters.
Another monitoring group, the Network for Election Monitoring, said it had recorded about 200 complaints but there were no major incidents. The Campaign for Free and Fair Election ( CaFFE) said it had recorded 65 complaints.
President Maithripala Sirisena cast his vote at the Sri Vidyaloka Temple polling booth in Polonnaruwa last morning. He spoke to journalists afterwards and noted that this was the first occasion after many years that when the country saw a peaceful campaign from nominations to election day.
He said that after the conclusion of the poll, the Government would work with local councils for sustainable and all inclusive development in their areas.
The President said he was confident voters would ensure a resounding mandate for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and allied parties.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe cast his vote at the polling center at the College House of the University of Colombo. He told journalists that with the introduction of the mixed electoral system, the local council elections were held in a peaceful atmosphere.
He said that under the new system, voters would get a representative responsible for their areas and he was confident of a UNP victory.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who led the election campaign of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) cast his vote at the polling booth at D. A. Rajapaksa Vidyalaya in Medamulana. He said he was confident of a decisive victory for the SLPP that the election would be a stepping stone for a major political revolution in the country.
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna ( JVP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake voted at a polling center at Abeysinharama Vihara in Panchikawatte. Mr Dissanayake said the importance of a political change had been deeply felt bythe public. The people were actively hoping for such a change and in this backdrop, the JVP was confident of making a strong showing at this election.