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DateLine Sunday, 11 May 2008

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PC Polls smooth: UNP in desperation

No major incidents were reported by the three Returning Officers of the three districts except for unconfirmed allegations levelled by two anti-government election monitoring organisations. But the main opposition UNP has made several unsubstantiated allegations of vote rigging.

Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, in Ampara, said the voter turn out was slightly lower than expected due to LTTE’s terror acts. He said if not for Friday’s bomb blast in the heart of Ampara and last morning’s LTTE mortar attack at Pannalagama village, the voter turn out would have been even higher.

Head of the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections, Kingsley Rodrigo, an independent monitoring group, said Saturday’s PC election was calm in more than 80% of polling boots, though there have been a few incidents reported in some areas. “There have been a few reported violations but overall, it has been a free and fair election.

Several other local and international monitors too had same views, though a few isolated incidents were reported from Valaichchenai and other nearby towns.

The LTTE had resorted to various terror acts to intimidate and keep voters away from polling booths. Despite the threats and violence, 46 percent of the province’s nearly one million registered voters had cast ballots by noon. The final voter turn out topped 65% when the voting closed at 4 p.m. yesterday. UPFA General Secretary,

Media and Mass Communication Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that no major incident that would affect the final results of the Eastern provincial polls has been reported though various allegations have been made by the UNP as a sign of desperation move. He said that the election is being conducted peacefully.

The LTTE suicide bomb, sickeningly described by them as “the enchanting weapon of noble purpose” has been used to rescue the Ranil - Rauff UNP coalition when defeat was staring in the face, the Asian Tribune reported.

It said suspected underground goons of the doomsday coalition were using terrorist tactics to disrupt the elections in the East. The prediction came true as the LTTE exploded a sea mine in Trincomalee and planted a parcel bomb that killed 12 people in Ampara. The Tigers also fired mortars at a village in Ampara to keep voters away..

“Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UNP preaching democracy and freedom from the roof tops were now locked in an unspeakable attempt to thwart the will of the people.

The LTTE is using terror to sabotage the elections. This was doomed to fail as the people was fully aware of these tactics and went to the polls no matter what obstacles were put in their path,” the Asian Tribune report added.

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