UNP files petition for re-poll in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 November 2005, 12:24 GMT]
Opposition leader and United National Party (UNP) Presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing a press conference in Colombo Friday said UNP has requested the Election Commissioner to conduct re-polls in Northeast districts where, the UNP said, conditions were created to prevent people from freely exercising their franchise.

Deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya, Deputy Secretary Tissa Attanayake and party secretary N.V.K.K. Weragoda attended the press conference.

UNP legal advisor and Presidential councelor K.N. Choksky and party secretary N.V.K.K. Weragoda handed over the petition to Election Commissioner on Friday morning requesting re-poll for Northeastern province.

Full text of the Statement by the UNP issued after the election results were announced follows:

"In view of the extremely narrow margin, which separates the two candidates 28,632, votes more than the constitutionally required 50%of the total valid votes east and in the interest of the 4,706,366 electors who voted for the united national party candidate Hon. Ranil Wickramasinghe the party requested the commissioner of Elections for the exercise of his statutory powers for a re-poll.

Hundreds of thousands of eligible voters names in the electorates outside the north and east have been intentionally omitted from the registrar of electors for the presidential poll and they could not exercise their fundamental right to vote. The number exceeds the margin of 28,632.

In the polling areas in the north and east hundreds of thousands of eligible voters were not permitted to exercise their right to vote freely and fairly. This number also exceeds the margin of 28,632.

In these circumstances taking into account the number of voters who were prevented from exercising their franchise in the North, East and the south. No candidate has received the statutory 50% vote required and therefore no candidate has a mandate today."