Election monitors today predicted that the voter turnout at the upcoming Local Government elections will be lower than usual due to the recent floods and the peoples mistrust in the election process.
Peoples Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Executive Director, Rohana Hettiarachchi said that the voter turn out during local government elections which is normally lower than that of the national and provincial elections, generally varies between 55%-65%. He said however that the numbers will fall further this year.
“In the last local government elections in 2006 the voter turn out was 54%. In the coming elections we expect these numbers will fall well below 50%,” Hettiarachchi said. He said that one of the major reasons for a possible reduction in the voter turn out is due to the floods which he said will have a vast affect on the elections.
The Center for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) Coordinator, M.H.M Ajmeer said that the voter turnout will be low unless the political parties competing at the upcoming elections take necessary measures to encourage them to vote. He said that the message to vote should be sent out to people including those in flood affected areas if the voter turnout is to be increased.
Source: The Daily Mirror – 14.01.2011