The Local Government polls in the Batticaloa District had ended without major incidents of violence or rigging, Chief Returning Officer and District Secretary Sundaram Arumeinayagam said last night. He said according to initial reports over 56 per cent of the registered voters had exercised their franchise.

Most enthusiastic among the voters yesterday had been the people from the newly cleared areas like Vellaweli, our provincial correspondents said.

Polling had been slow in the morning but it had recorded an increase in the afternoon, Additional Commissioner of Elections W. P. Sumanasiri told The Island. He said the election had been very peaceful and without untoward incidents as such.

STF Commandant DIG Nimal Lewke said the polls had been extremely peaceful. "No incidents were reported despite

Democracy...

speculation in some quarters that the election would be marred by violence and widespread rigging,"

he said, "but we are happy that there was a good voter turn out and the election was peaceful."

DIG Batticaloa Prasanna Nanayakkara said everything had been smooth and all ballot boxes had been delivered to the counting centres safely.

However, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress General Secretary Hassen Ali said his party was disturbed by the government interference in the election process. He said the ruling party politicians had used inducements such as dry rations and food items until midnight on Sunda to lure voters. He said the SLMC had made a complaint to the police against a government minister who had assaulted a candidate and his police officer. Former SLMC Minister M. L. A. M. Hisbulla said a bomb had been lobbed at the residence of an SLMC candidate and a policeman detailed to protect him assaulted.

Free Media Movement Convener Sunanda Desapriya told the media that questionable documents had been used by some people for voting at Valachchenai. However, he said by and large the polls had been peaceful.

Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) Organiser for Batticaloa and candidate Kandaiah Arumelingam said the situation had been normal but the voters had not evinced so keen an interest in the election. He accused the TMVP cadres of having grabbed polling cards in areas like Karuwankerny, Irudiyapuram and Jayanthipuram. Formal complaints had been made to the police about the incidents, he said.

PAFFERAL Executive Director Kingley Rodrigo, who has been monitoring the election processes over the past few weeks, said his organization was happy about the voter turn out and the polls had been free and fair but for a few minor incidents. He said the PAFFERAL had seen people vote very enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, TMVP Spokesman Azad Moulana described Monday’s election as the best ever in Sri Lanka. He said his organization had silenced its detractors very democratically, who had tried to paint a black picture of the anti-LTTE activists in the East. "We have demonstrated to the world our commitment to democracy," he said, "we hope we will be able to put the gun culture behind us." Whatever the decision of the people may be, he said, the TMVP would respect it.