Final week takes political leaders to many electorates

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 March 2004, 03:56 GMT]
With five days to go for the Sri Lanka’s thirteen parliamentary election leaders of major political parties are conducting whirlwind tour of electorates to beat the deadline for ending their election campaign on midnight March 30th. Meanwhile the Election Commissioner has instructed heads of electronic media to stop all election advertisements and political interviews and other election related programmes from midnight of March 29, seventy two hours prior to the polling day.

The Election Commissioner has also instructed the print media to stop carrying election advertisements and election related political commentaries by editors and political columnists from midnight of March 30, forty eight hours before the election day, sources said.

However the print media can carry news items of election meetings held earlier before the deadline on March 31st and April 1st but without any comment, election department sources said.



Cutout of political leaders displayed at Kanchimadam junction, the main entrance to the Trincomalee town



In the meantime peace organizations including the National Peace Council have put up cut-outs with the photographs of leaders of five major political parties, leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and President of the country Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, UNP leader and Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Minister Mr.Rauff Hakim, leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Mr.Somawanse Amarasinghe and the leader of the Tamil National Alliance Mr.R.Sampanthan in several parts of the country reminding their commitment to bring peace to the country.

The cutout carries their speeches made during election meetings that they have committed themselves to bring peace, sources said.