PAFFREL to deploy 2,000 observers

By Maheesha Mudugamuwa

People’s Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) on tuesday announced that it would deploy 2,000 observers for polls duty on Saturday (08).

Addressing the media, at the Center for Society and Religion, PAFFREL’s National Coordinator Sujeewa Gayanath said, "We have appointed 1,500 observers for polling booths besides mobile observers."

The election monitoring body had received complaints of 66 incidents, he said.

Those incidents include 21 threats, 19 assaults, 3 attacks on election meetings and 22 incidents of damaging immovable and movable property, Gayanth said.

PAFFREL also noted that the highest number of complaints was from the Anuradhapura district followed by Amapara and Ratnapura. The minimum number of incidents was reported from Polonnaruwa.

PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said that 30 person have been hospitalized due to assault.

He stressed that if the trend continued it would significantly affect the free and fair nature of the election.

He said that even though the number of complaints received on election violations this year was comparatively less than the past years, it could not be stated that the elections this time would be completely free and fair given the current situation.