JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva yesterday said a large number of voters could not cast their ballots owing to threats and intimidation.

"The way the government conducted the election prevented thousands of people from voting at Saturday’s poll," he said accusing the government and its armed ally the TMVP of resorting to violence.

He said: "So we see that democracy did not prevail in this election. Even in the Ampara District, the turn out of voters was very low in the morning and then suddenly there was a rush in the evening. This opportunity, we think was used by some parties to impersonate and engage in other malpractices. The JVP contested on its own while the Government formed a coalition with Pillaiyan group and the UNP joined hands with SLMC’s Hakim. At the end, we won a single seat in Trincomalee District and this seat would be used in our fight against separatism," he told The Island immediately after the election results announced.

Silva said Friday’s massacre in Ampara, mortar fire directed at a Sinhala hamlet and the sinking of a navy vessel in the Trincomalee harbour had caused the low turn out of support to the JVP. (SI)