Transparent ballot boxes to replace wooden ones?

by Manjula Fernando

The Elections Department is considering using transparent plastic ballot boxes in place of the former wooden boxes for the forthcoming polls. If plastic ballot boxes are used, it will be a first in the history of elections in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Elections Commissioner, Mahinda Deshapriya invited several international bodies calling for their presence to monitor the conduct of the September Provincial Council (PC) polls.

Polls monitors from Asia, the SAARC region and the Commonwealth have been invited among others, sources from the Elections Secretariat said. However, the number of teams participating is yet to be confirmed. It is also not known if the observers will monitor only the Northern PC polls or if they will monitor all three PC polls.

The invited international bodies are expected to confirm their arrival in the coming days. The sources also added that it was compulsory for candidates to declare their assets at the point of handing over nominations and that there is no compromise on that issue.