Seventy percent voter turnout:

Uva PC polls free and fair – Elections Chief

by Manjula Fernando

Returning Officers said the Badulla district had sixty eight percent voter turnout while the Moneragala district recorded a 63 per cent voter turnout. Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya speaking at a press conference immediately after polls closed last evening expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the poll and said that the elections were free and fair.

At the time of going to press the first postal votes were announced where the UPFA led with 5,632 votes while the UNP obtained 2800 and the JVP got 1,101 votes.

A UPFA victory was predicted by political analysts at the time of this edition going to press. The brisk voter turnout pointed to the fact that voters had confidence in the electoral system and the peaceful situation prevailing in the country also contributed to it.

Political analysts pointed out that this time around the rise in voter turnout compared to other PC elections held in the past showed a positive trend.

Initial situation reports indicated that there would be no re-poll in any of the polling stations in the Uva province, a spokesman for the Elections Secretariat said at the close of polls yesterday.

The total number of registered voters in the Badulla District was 609,966. Election monitors said that several minor incidents of election related violence had been reported from the Uva province. Additional Elections Commissioner R.M.A.L. Ratnayake said they had received complaints of violent incidents but they did not warrant a cancellation of results in any station, adding that however, the final confirmation will be made by the Elections Commissioner after an evaluation of reports by returning officers and the Independent election observers. Counting of votes in the Badulla district commenced at 6.30pm in three main centres consisting of 71 halls.

The three centres include the Badulla district Secretary’s Office, Badulla Central College and Badulla Viharamahadevi Vidyalaya.

Elections officials recorded brisk voting during the morning session from 7 to 12 noon, with over 50 percent of the registered voters turning up at polling stations in both districts of the Uva Province to cast their votes.

Over 60 percent of the 942,760 registered voters in the province had cast their votes at the close of polls at 4.00 pm yesterday.

Twenty-two registered political parties and 11 Independent groups fielded over 670 candidates for the 32 seats and two bonus seats to be won in the Provincial Council which was dissolved by Gazette notification dated July 11. The term of the Provincial Council was to expire in August this year.

In the Badulla district, 10 political parties and four independent groups fielded candidates with 18 seats to be won, while 12 political parties and seven Independent groups will contest 14 seats in the Moneragala district.

An additional 60,000 voters in the Uva province were eligible to cast their vote this year compared to the 2009 election. The Police deployed over a 12,000 strong police force, including the STF in the Badulla district, to ensure a peaceful poll. However, polls monitors said polling was not without incidents with PAFFREL recording over 66 incidents and CaFFE 39 incidents by afternoon yesterday.

At the last Uva PC election in August 2009, the United People’s Freedom Alliance obtained 418, 906 votes (72.39 percent) while the main Opposition United National Party bagged 129, 144 votes (22.32 percent).

The number of seats secured by each party was UPFA 25 including two bonus seats, UNP seven seats and the People’s Liberation Front and Upcountry People’s Front one seat each.