PAFFREL files Court action to stop local elections

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 January 2006, 16:57 GMT]
People Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Tuesday filed a petition seeking the Court of Appeal (CA) to order the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Authorities, the Commissioner of Elections and the Commissioner of Registration of Persons to stop holding elections to three hundred and thirty local government institutions in Sri Lanka based on 2004 Voters' Register, legal sources said.

The petition also further requested the Court to cancel the Extra Ordinary Gazette notification of the Minister advancing the date of the dissolution of all local bodies one month ahead of the scheduled date, legal sources said.

The petitioner, PAFFREL has cited Minister Mr.Janaka Bandara Tennekoon, Election Commissioner Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake, and Mr.H.K.Geethasena, Commissioner of Registration of Persons as respondents, legal sources said.

The life term of all local bodies is expiring on May 30th. But the Minister has issued an Extra Gazette Notification advancing the date of expiry to April 14. This act is contrary to the law and discriminatory and one sided. Furthermore the local elections should be held based on the revised Voters Register for the Year 2005 instead of 2004 Register, which has deprived the franchise of about three hundred and fifty thousand persons.

If the local election is held on the basis of 2004 Voters' Register, youths who have reached eighteen years of age would be deprived of their franchise and the decision to hold election on the 2004 Voters' Register unjust and contrary to the law of the country, states PAFFREL in its petition, legal sources said.