By Rathindra Kuruwita
The period of silence prior to the 14 November general election commences from midnight on 11 November, Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake has said, warning that any candidate who violates it will have to face legal action.
“I urge all candidates and their supporters not to campaign during the silent period. We have observed during recent elections that some candidates and their family members continued campaigning during the period of silence. Such candidates run the risk of losing their seats in case of being prosecuted for election law violations.
The Election Commission has also teamed up with social media platforms, which will remove election propaganda material during the cooling-off period, Ratnayake said.
“This was successfully implemented during the previous presidential election,” he added.
Police spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said that they had arrested 11 candidates for illegal distribution of handbills and posters and unruly behaviour inside police stations.
“The police have arrested 353 people for violating election laws,” he added.
Executive Director – Institute of Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES), Manjula Gajanayake said that serious cases of election law violations and election related violence had decreased drastically this year.
