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Sri Lanka opposition warns of poll violence
AFP,
Jan 24.
COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka's opposition warned on Saturday of possible vote-rigging and violence by the ruling party in next week's presidential election as both sides wound up campaigning.
Ahead of final campaign rallies later on Saturday, opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka predicted that the ruling party, led by President Mahinda Rajapakse, would use violence to intimidate his supporters in Tuesday's vote.
"They want to create violence and discourage people from voting. A lower turnout will help rigging," he told reporters, adding he expected fake voters and forged ballot papers to also be used.
In the run-up to the poll, police say at least four people have been killed and hundreds wounded in clashes between rival supporters. The house of an influential opposition figure was bombed on Friday.
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Published: Sat Jan 23 19:23:18 EST 2010
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Poll violence will reverse Lanka's good image, warns US
ZeeNews,
Jan 23.
Colombo: Expressing concern over the escalating poll violence in the run up to the January 26 Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka, the US has warned this could reverse the good image, the nation has started building after the end of the civil war in May last year.
"Of course everybody is focused on the upcoming (Presidential) Elections. What is concerning us is that the escalating violence which has no place in a democratic process," US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Patricia A Butenis said.
"The international image of Sri Lanka is just beginning to change from a land were it is all danger and conflict to one where it is a great country where may be we can do business," she said.
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Published: Sat Jan 23 00:59:06 EST 2010
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The gloves are off in Sri Lanka's election
Asian Times,
Jan 23.
BANGALORE - With Sri Lankans going to the polls on January 26 to elect their next president, there is considerable apprehension that polling will be neither free nor fair. The run-up to polling day has been violent, with five people killed in poll-related violence and scores injured.
The election monitoring group, People's Action for Free and Fair Elections, has recorded 382 confirmed instances of violation of election laws between November 17, when candidates filed nominations, and January 20.
Supporters of the ruling party and the opposition are "aggressively moving towards a violent election", a spokesperson of the
Campaign for Free and Fair Elections told the BBC. "The remainder of the election campaign and the presidential election itself will not be conducted according to the legal procedures and limitations established by the constitution and the law," the Colombo-based Center for Policy Analysis has warned.
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Published: Sat Jan 23 00:54:04 EST 2010
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