Elections Commissioner- Dayananda Disssanayake instructed Returning Officers yesterday (15) to hold investigations into twenty- five (25) complaints received by him.In two days, 12th and 13th, his office had received 25 complaints said representatives of PAFFREL and CMEV, who said all complaints had been channelled to the Elections Secretariat for action.
All District Returning Officers have been duly advised to report all such complaints of elections malpractice to the Elections Secretariat, the source said.
There were twenty one (21) complaints received by our office, including, one at Rattota where the OIC had tried to influence a Civil Defence Force Member, the use of influence on the employees of the Kalawana CTB depot, the prevention of their representatives monitoring postal voting in Akkaraipattu and the non receipt of ballot papers given to soldiers of the Ampara Army camp said Co-ordinator of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence, D.M. Dissanayake.
Executive Director of PAFFREL Rohana Hettiarachchi said that they received several complaints about the marking of votes. Among them were the influence exerted on employees of the Ratnapura CTB Depot, the influence used on Police Officers of the Tangalle Police Station, and two cases of impersonation at the Education Office in Matale.