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D-Day: Polls heading towards August

06 Jun 2020

Black Box by Capt. Vasabha The much-anticipated verdict of the Supreme Court (SC) on the fundamental rights (FR) petitions filed challenging the date of holding the 2020 general election, finally came through last week after a marathon 10-day period where the court heard submissions from all stakeholders. The SC bench comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare, Sisira de Abrew, Priyantha Jayawardena, and Vijith Malalgoda finally dismissed all petitions last Tuesday (2), thereby getting the process of holding the 2020 general elections back on track. Nevertheless, it was evident to all stakeholders that the general election could not be held on 20 June as earlier declared. In fact, the Election Commission (EC) has informed the SC that it would take between nine and 11 weeks to hold the general election from the date of receiving clearance. Following the SC ruling on the eight FR petitions and 15 intervening petitions, the EC is now looking at holding the election as early as possible in keeping with guidelines issued by health and security authorities. The Commission met last Monday (3) to decide on the future of the parliamentary election. The Commission also received the health guidelines from the health authorities on how to hold general elections amidst Covid-19. Given the additional measures that are to be put in place during the period of Covid-19, the Commission maintains that it would require between 60-70 days to hold the 2020 general election. EC member Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole said the meeting to make a final decision would be held tomorrow (8). Even at the outset of the SC hearings on the seven FR petitions challenging the general election date, EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya maintained that the Commission would need a certain period of time to prepare the groundwork for holding polls. It is now evident that even with the health authorities giving clearance to hold polls, the EC would require 60-70 days to conduct the election – making August the preferred month to hold the general election. The EC is currently studying the health guidelines handed over last Monday by the health authorities. “After studying this, we will meet next Monday to decide on the election date. The Commission has neither the desire to postpone elections nor to get the blame for spreading the virus,” Deshapriya had said. Meanwhile, the EC is to also seek the opinion of the World Health Organisation (WHO) over the holding of the elections. Prof. Hoole told The Sunday Morning that professional bodies including the WHO will be consulted when setting the election date. “The clearance of the Health Ministry is not the deciding factor when setting the date for the election,” Prof. Hoole said. The EC it seems is committed to leaving no stone unturned when it comes to holding the 2020 general election in line with strict health guidelines. Deshapriya has already said that the Commission expected to deploy at least one health officer to each polling station and a team of officials to monitor a cluster of polling stations at the forthcoming parliamentary election. However, Monday’s meeting would be a hold-your-breath moment since it will also see the Commission deciding on issuing the preferential numbers to the candidates that was postponed several times last month. Election work begins As the first step of getting the general election process back on track, the EC is to hold a mock poll today (7) at a selected location in order to determine the actual time required to conduct the polling process according to the health guidelines. It is learnt that the mock poll would be conducted at a town in the coastal belt with the participation of around 250 voters and will be conducted between 10.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. Among the locations being considered for the mock poll are Panadura, Balapitiya, Akmeemana, and Weligama. The mock poll is expected to help the EC decide on the preparations required and the time frame to put things in place and the cost for holding the election. However, the 2020 general election will have to be held following social distancing, hand sanitising, and wearing face masks, which are the three main components of the health guidelines issued by the authorities. Also, during the election campaign period, pocket meetings are to be limited to only 30 members each and rallies are to be permitted only when the leaders of the respective political parties contesting the election are to attend. Meanwhile, Government Printer Gangani Liyanage last week announced that the Government Printer had commenced the printing of 17 million ballot papers for the general election. She told the media that the typesetting and other preparations were carried out during the previous week and subsequently the official printing commenced last week. The printing of ballot papers commenced as soon as the SC ruling dismissing the FR petitions was announced. However, election monitors have expressed concern over the holding of the general election under the present circumstances since it might not provide a level playing field for all political parties concerned. The 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 a free and fair election. Meanwhile, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) had 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,” PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi had said. “The wealthy candidates will always have an advantage as a consequence of not having legislation on campaign finance regulation,” he added. The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) had also added to the chorus, saying that the pandemic would create conditions that would benefit the wealthier candidates. CMEV National Co-ordinator Manjula Gajanayake had noted 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 added. MR meets the team While the EC and others were trying to get the general election back on track, political parties have also started to get their acts together. Last Tuesday (2), President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was to meet with the government parliamentary group in the evening. However, the meeting was later cancelled and a meeting was instead scheduled with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the government parliamentary group. The discussion was focused on the impending general election. After the exchange of pleasantries between the members who participated in the meeting, the discussion focused on how the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) could secure the desired victory at the impending polls. Meanwhile, Jeewan Thondaman, son of the late Arumugam Thondaman, signed nomination papers on Thursday (4) to contest the upcoming general election under the SLPP in the Nuwara Eliya District replacing the slot that fell vacant following his father’s untimely demise. UNP-SJB battle intensifies While the SLPP is in the process of oiling its election machinery, the United National Party (UNP) led by Ranil Wickremesinghe and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) led by Sajith Premadasa are now at war following the UNP Working Committee’s (WC) decision to suspend the memberships of 99 UNP members including several former office bearers after they aligned themselves with the SJB. Senior UNP politician Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, who was also among the UNPers to be suspended, last week, charged that the UNP is today being run by a small group who are aiming to carry out the Government’s agenda. Bakeer Markar, addressing a news conference last weekend, said that the current struggle within the UNP is a long-standing one and the journey of the SJB is a legal one that has the support of a majority of UNP supporters. “We can’t look at this in isolation, we need to look at this decision in the context of the bigger picture, the background, these tactics have been employed by some in the UNP for some time, it involves a long-standing issue,” Bakeer Markar had said, noting that he had been suspended by the WC thrice before. “These tactics of planting stories in the media has been used before, it is being employed by a small group within the party; hundreds of party members and leaders have left the party due to action such as this in the past,” he stated, arguing that the party had long suppressed upcoming community leaders and replaced them with a hand-picked group of individuals who had no grassroots support. “The fact of the matter is that every leader of the UNP has been the country’s political leadership bar Ranil Wickremesinghe. “What happened to the UNP? Young leadership from grassroots level was not allowed to come up the ranks, a few handpicked friends and children from elite families were put in place instead. Ordinary UNP supporters were not given the opportunity to rise,” Bakeer Markar stressed. As for the UNP WC decision to suspend the members who had sought nominations from the SJB, Bakeer Markar had said it was illegal, owing to the fact that the SJB was formed on a directive of the WC, and as such, all UNP members who support the SJB and the candidacy of Sajith Premadasa should not fear any repercussion from the party. “This decision is a joke. We are standing on solid ground; we (SJB) were formed on a WC decision. We need to free the UNP from the control of a small group who are bent on doing the Government’s bidding. A majority of the WC are with us; the heart and grassroots support of the UNP is with the SJB,” he had charged. The SJB members maintain that the UNP decision was aimed at scaring away the support base of the SJB ahead of the election. “A party is not a building, it is not Sirikotha, it is not a symbol; it is the principles of a social democratic journey. The party leadership was never decided in the homes of the elite, it was decided by the people,” Bakeer Marakar had noted. Action against RW The SJB last week announced plans to take legal action against the decisions taken by the UNP WC once the suspended members received written notifications. The SJB also discussed moving a No-Confidence Motion against the UNP Leader. “We heard that a small group met at the UNP headquarters and convened a WC meeting. However, a majority of the WC are with the SJB. Out of the 66 members of the UNP WC, a majority of 37 met at the SJB head office today,” SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara told the media soon after the UNP WC announced the decision to suspend the membership of 99 UNPers for joining forces with the SJB. “We discussed this decision; a small group cannot suspend our party membership; the decision is illegal,” Bandara charged, pointing out that the SJB was founded on a directive of the WC. “We have a public statement issued by UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam stating that the WC has issued a directive for Sajith Premadasa to be appointed the Leader of the SJB, for him to be the prime ministerial candidate, and for me to be appointed the General Secretary of the SJB,” Bandara had said, adding that the SJB was in possession of an official letter written by UNP Leader Wickremesinghe to the same effect. “Therefore, the legitimacy is with us, with the SJB; the WC took a decision that they would face the elections as a coalition. Now, they have said that they will face the election under the elephant symbol which is in violation of the WC decision taken before. We are planning to take legal action against these illegitimate decisions,” Bandara had said. Former MP and senior UNPer Lakshman Kiriella had also told the media that the SJB will not let UNP provincial councillors who aligned with the SJB be intimidated by a few in the party. Kiriella has pointed out that the UNP Leader was present and party to all WC decisions on the creation of the SJB, appointment of Premadasa as SJB Leader and Madduma Bandara as its General Secretary, and that Premadasa was to be the prime ministerial candidate. “Therefore, legally speaking, no one there can threaten the SJB,” he had noted. SLPP’s gain While the UNP-SJB battle rages on, the SLPP had expressed its pleasure at the ongoing battle, noting the positive benefits the SLPP would experience as a result. According to the SLPP, it will be beneficial since it will help the party secure a two-thirds majority at the general election. The SLPP maintains that the division among the UNP would likely deteriorate its vote base and encourage disillusioned voters to either stay away from the polls or turn towards the SLPP. The split between the UNP and SJB will reduce the chance of a strong campaign by those parties at the election, he predicted. “The rift between the UNP and SJB will lead some of their loyalists to hold neutral positions and a considerable number of conventional UNP supporters will not even cast their votes at the election. Others may decide to change their party. Therefore, this time, we have a better chance of getting a two-thirds majority,” SLPP member S.B. Dissanayake had speculated. He has further analysed that when a political party splits, about 25% of its supporters could leave out of frustration and 10% could remain neutral while the rest of the 65% is likely to split between the two groups, which will be beneficial to the rival political party.

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