By Skandha Gunasekara Election monitoring groups yesterday (4) voiced concerns over the lack of a free and fair election. Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) Executive Director Manas Makeen told The Morning that there is a serious shortcoming with regard to hosting a fair election. “The Covid-19 pandemic has made it even more unbalanced as the ruling party enjoys and abuses its power,” he said, highlighting the politicisation of the distribution of the Rs. 5,000 voucher during the lockdown. Makeen stressed that the EC needs to ensure free and fair elections. Meanwhile, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) also expressed their doubts about a level playing field for all political parties. “Even during past elections, it has never been equal. But with the pandemic, this situation has worsened,” its Executive Director Rohana Hettiarchchi said. He highlighted that there are no campaign finance regulations, thus creating an uneven political battle ground. “The wealthy candidates will always have an advantage as a consequence of not having legislation on campaign finance regulation,” he said. The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) too pointed out that the pandemic would create conditions that would benefit the wealthier candidates. CMEV National Co-ordinator Manjula Gajanayake pointed out that financially weak candidates would be at a significant disadvantage due to the limited campaign freedom as a result of Covid-19. “Those who have the finances will be able to campaign on both print and digital media, but candidates who cannot afford such platforms are now handicapped as traditional methods of campaigning such as house-to-house campaigning cannot be done,” he said.