Don't be misled by intimidation to vote or not to vote:

No one can see your vote:

There are no CCTV cameras or men to spy on voters at the polling booth:

Free and fair election assured - Elections Commissioner

By Manjula Fernando

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya while assuring a free and fair election on January 8, requested voters to arrive at the polling station early and exercise their franchise which is a constitutionally recognised right of every adult citizen of the country.

“Don't be misled by people who may intimidate you not to vote or not to vote for someone they demand. No one can see your vote and there are no CCTV cameras or men to spy on voters at the polling booth,” addressing a media conference last week he assured voters.

The Elections Commissioner promised that poll day will be violence free. “I have been assured by the Inspector General of Police that a strong police force will be in place to protect law and order and to ensure an election free of violence.”

A 71,000 member strong police force, including the STF will be deployed to prove protection in the run- up, on election day and during the post election phase.

The Commissioner has invited 70 international observers from the Asian region representing the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) and Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA).

Already some of the observers are in the country monitoring postal voting and the post election phase.The Commonwealth Secretariat, as customary, has also sent in a team of observers for the election.

The country will hold its seventh presidential election on Thursday to elect a head of state to steer the country for the next six years.

Apart from President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is currently the sitting president holding executive office, since his first election in November 2005 followed by a re-election in January 2010, eighteen other contenders are in the fray. This election will go down in history as an election contested by the highest number of presidential hopefuls.

The two front runners in the presidential race are Rajapaksa Percy Mahendra of the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance who is contesting from the Betel leaf symbol and Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena of the New Democratic Front, contesting from the symbol of swan.

In 2006, President Rajapaksa defeated his rival Ranil Wickremasinghe with a 50.29% votes as against 48.43% polled by Wickremasinghe.

In 2010, President Rajapaksa obtained 57.88% votes against his rival former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka who managed to secured only 40.15% votes.

The Elections Commissioner said if none of the contenders obtain over 50% votes, they will go for counting of preferential votes.

The Presidential Elections Act provides for the marking of three preferences but this is not a popular practice among voters unlike in the Parliamentary election. The three preferences can be marked as 1, 2 and 3 or resort to vote for the one candidate you prefer by putting a cross or number 1 in front of the party symbol.

If the candidates fail to pass 50% mark, the ballots obtained by those other than the two main contenders will be checked for their second preference.

Refuting allegations that there can be malpractices during voting, transporting, counting or at the time of announcing the results, the commissioner said this was just baseless speculation.

“Every loophole in the system that provided opportunities for malpractices have been eliminated. Civil society activists went to courts and got a number of rulings from time to time to close those loopholes and today it is a strong and transparent system.”

He said only pensionable state sector employees get called for election duty. Any such officer, if proved of wrongdoing, will be deprived of their voting right in national elections for seven years and barred from government service for the rest of his life. In addition, they will be disqualified from contesting any future election.

These are harsh penalties for anyone to think of election malpractices, the Commissioner said.

He said representatives from the contesting parties and groups (polling agents) are allowed to visit the polling stations and observe the conduct of poll during the eight hours from 7 am to 4 pm. In addition, two local monitoring bodies PAFFREL and the CMEV are authorise to deploy stationery monitors within the polling centres.

Among a list of measures taken to ensure a free and fair election, the polling agents are permitted to keep a count of and tally the number of ballot papers issued and the number of voters when the polling is in progress. They are allowed to question if they see something amiss.

Once the voting is over the, boxes will be sealed by the polling station officers, the polling agents and the election observers. It will then be put in a polythene bag with a seal that can only be break open at the counting centres.

When transporting ballot boxes to the counting centres, in addition to the police and local and international polls monitors, polling agents are facilitated to accompany the vehicle convoy and monitor every step of this process, leaving zero percent chance for wrongdoing, the Elections Commissioner said." There is no room to switch the boxes during this process as claimed by certain parties", he re-affirmed. “This has not happened in the past and it will not happen in the future as well,” he said adding that not once in his service with the Elections Department since 1983 he has come across instances of switching ballot boxes, although it has been a popular lament by the losing party or the losing candidate.

The boxes will be opened before the polling agents and the counting will be done in a transparent manner. If the agents have doubts, they can request a re-count. The Chief Counting Officers(CCOs) will issue a carbon copy of the detailed ballot count, to the polling agents representing two main candidates soon after the count.

The CCOs are also required to conduct a re-count of the results, if the results of the two main candidates are close.

If there is uncertainty with regard to the ballot count in a particular polling station, the polling agents are also allowed to cross-check the stubs of the ballot books with the number of votes. The Commissioner said no one should have any doubts of the voting and counting process and harbor any misgivings.

“ I will vouch that there is no possibility to commit malpractices and even make any computer Jilmaart during and after the election. Every measure to ensure a free and fair election has been put in place.”

The Elections Department will issue the results to the electronic media while the Information Department will be entrusted with issuing the results certified by the Elections Commissioner to the print media. The first result (postal) is expected around 9pm on Thursday.

All Campaign activities including rallies are required to be stopped by midnight January 5. On January 6 all campaign material such as cut outs and banners will be removed from election offices and by January 7 the election offices must cease to operate.