by Samanthi Weerasekera
The Election Commissioner’s Department is to allocate high tech electronic testing machines to all counting centres today which can detect forged ballots.

The machines have been imported by the Commissioner to minimise election malpractices, sources from the Elections Department said.

Ballots have been printed on a special imported paper for today’s general election.

The commissioner of Elections has entered the required data enabling the testing machines to draw a distinction between normal ballots and forged ballots.

The Election Commissioner’s Department said that the machine has proven its ability to identify forged ballots instantly during test runs.

Officers at counting centres have been informed on how to operate the high tech machines the Department said.

Elections Commissioner, Dayananda Dissanayake introduced a sticker at the last general election to minimise rigging and election malpractices.

He has already declared that polling booths where rigging or malpractices are reported would be closed down and cancelled.

Dissanayake who met political party representatives on Tuesday urged them to co-operate to ensure a free and fair election.