|
The
ORGANIZATION OF THE OBSERVATION MISSION GROUP
Mr. Bandula Kulatunga( the Coordinator of International Observer
Group)
and AAEA Observers
Sri Lanka conducted their fifth Presidential
Election on November 17, 2005. AAEA was invited by Commissioner
of Elections Dissanayake to send an observation team. It was the
second time the AAEA was invited. The first invitation was to
observe the Parliamentary Elections of 2004. Unfortunately the
AAEA was unable to send a mission owing to the holding of major
elections in several member countries.
Chairman
Benjamin S. Abalos and Executive Secretary Mei Chu Lin preside the deployment of the AAEA
observers.
On this occasion, however, the AAEA, under the leadership of
its Chairman Mr. Masa J.S. Chang – also the Chairman of the
Central Election Commission of Taiwan – sent twenty-two
observers from member countries. Due to the need to oversee
preparations for Taiwan elections scheduled for December, Mr.
Chang was unable to Head the Mission. In his stead, he
recommended Mr. Benjamin S. Abalos, Chairman of the Commission
on Elections of the Philippines and former Chairman of the AAEA
to head the mission, and Ms. Mei-Chu Lin, the Secretary
General of the Taiwan CEC and the AAEA Executive Secretary, to
be the deputy head of the mission .
Accompanying Mr. Abalos and Ms. Lin were election authorities from
Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Papua New
Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Tajikistan.
Significantly, although the observers were invited by
Commissioner Dissanayake, they functioned independently and not
as representatives of their respective governments.
The AAEA
Mission Observers
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ELECTION
DAY
 Voting
and counting on election were generally peaceful and orderly.
Election administrators performed their tasks commendably and
efficiently, justifying the high esteem in which the Election
Commission is held by the general public, journalists, and
politicians. The Commissioner of Elections in particular, by
performing all his duties with utmost professionalism and
unquestionable integrity, has once again given good reason for the
confidence reposed in him by all the stakeholders.
Due to the small number of AAEA observers, only one observer
was fielded in 19 out of the 22 electoral districts, with two
being deployed to
Jaffna
. They witnessed a large turn-out of voters and undisrupted
counting. Another consequence of the lack of Observers is that the
number of reports for the voting and counting processes are too
small for statistical analysis.
The
border between the clear area and the unclear area
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Voting
The procedures laid down by law were followed
faithfully by the election administrators, resulting in orderly
proceedings in all polling stations. The active
participation of political parties in ensuring the orderliness of
elections – through their polling agents – assured the
complete transparency of voting operations in all places visited
by AAEA Observers. None of the observers reported partisan
activity in the vicinity of the polling stations, and only
observer reported seeing a political figure engaging a Senior
Polling Officer in a conversation outside the polling station.
Ballot
Boxes
Entrance
of a Polling Station
Identification of voters proceeded smoothly in all the
polling stations visited by Observers, both for those with poll
cards and for those without. Significantly, only a few cases of
tender voting was witnessed by Observers. The AAEA Observers
received no reports of disenfranchisement or of any unjustifiable
refusal to allow a person to vote. Exceptional cases were handled
efficiently and appropriately, resulting in very little disruption
of the election process. In the few cases of attempted electoral
fraud, the would-be perpetrators themselves demonstrated no great
determination to push through with their malfeasance.
Inside
the Polling station
Poll
workers are taping the ballot box after the poll closing.
The
Presiding Officer and two armed police officers
are
departing for the Counting Centre
Unfortunately, however, AAEA Observers in
Jaffna
noted that voter turn-out was less than one per cent, although
this was deemed attributable more to the threat of violence posed
by the LTTE than to any active or concerted effort to prevent
voters from voting by any candidate or by the election
administrators themselves.
Counting
Polling stations were closed promptly at 4:00 pm,
with proper care and attention being given to securing the ballot
boxes. In all cases witnessed by AAEA Observers, polling agents
and election administrators cooperated with each other fully to
ensure the proper sealing of the ballot boxes. Transport of the
boxes to counting centers was reasonably secure, and no complaints
of harassment or ballot box snatching were received.
Ballot
boxes arrive at the counting centre
In many places, counting started late as all the
ballot boxes assigned to those centers had not yet arrived. The
Observers are unanimous in reporting that the counting process was
extremely time consuming. However, counting was performed in an
orderly fashion despite many delays.
Vote
Counting in Process
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RECOMMENDATIONS
 The
report concludes that the Presidential
Elections were conducted in an exemplary fashion and that, despite
some troubles in the North and the East having mostly to do with
the LTTE’s boycott stance. Nothing transpired that deprived the
voters of their right to vote, nor to unduly influence their
exercise of that right.
The high voter turn out amply indicates the strong roots of
the democratic process in this country, and as such, speaks highly
of the Sri Lankan people. The President-elect now has secure
mandate that, hopefully, will be applied to promote the further
growth and economic development of
Sri Lanka
.
And finally, all AAEA Observers are unanimous in commending
the Commissioner of Elections for the efficiency and orderliness
of the 2005 Presidential Elections.
The
AAEA Press Conferencing
The following are our recommendations:
1. Implementation of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution.
Although the present Commissioner of Elections is extremely
capable, the creation of an independent Election Commission is
crucial to ensure that all future elections can be as successful
as the November 2005 polls. AAEA Member countries with independent
election commissions are:
Bangladesh
,
India
,
Pakistan
,
Papua New Guinea
, and the
Philippines
.
2. Stricter legislative control on election expenses. The
current free for all effectively marginalizes candidates of lesser
financial means. Moreover, in the context of the humanitarian
tragedy wrought by the tsunami, the excessive campaign spending
is, at best, morally questionable.
3. Greater control over State-run media. The Commissioner of
Elections should be given the power to sanction, motu proprio,
state-run media when it manifests partiality. This will level the
playing field and allow the public to make more informed choices
come election day. The Commissioner of Elections should also be
given the power to investigate and sanction agencies of the
government for the use of state resources for partisan purposes.
4. Phasing out of Poll Cards. Poll cards are not necessary
for the exercise of the right of suffrage, they are not needed for
identification, and they are immediately torn up after use. This
constitutes a tremendous waste of paper that can be avoided
through the adoption of a simpler method of informing voters of
their polling station assignments.
5. The destruction of unused ballot papers in the presence
of polling agents. Unused ballot papers should be immediately
destroyed to prevent their being used for unauthorized purposes
such as ballot box stuffing.
6. The initiation of counting upon the arrival of the first
ballot box. The current practice of waiting for all ballot boxes
to arrive before counting is initiated is a significant cause of
delay that can be eliminated simply by starting the count as soon
as the first ballot box is delivered.
7. Provisions for equal campaign opportunities for all
political parties in rural areas should be studied. In some cases,
it has been observed that parties are unable to campaign in areas
where there are no party branches. Addressing this issue enlarges
the voting public’s election day options.
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Mr.
Benjamin S. Abalos (The head of the Mission) and Ms. Mei-Chu Lin
(The deputy head of the mission) handed the AAEA Election
Observation Report to Mr. Dayanada Dissanayake (The Commissioner
of Elections of Sri Lanka)
on
November 19, 2005
Were the election results
truly reflective of the will of the people? We believe so. The
counting processes clearly proceeded with full adherence to the
guidelines laid down by the Election Commission, with no
significant attempts to subvert the counting. Neither have any
complaints been received. And despite minor disturbances and low
voter turnout in some parts of the North and the East, we
believe that the results are still an accurate gauge of the true
sentiment of the majority. With more than 80% of the people
turning out to cast their votes, the President-elect now enjoys
a mandate that can be a powerful instrument for the further
growth of Sri Lanka, and the continued economic development of
this beautiful island.
Mr.
and Mrs. Dissanayake, Ms. Mei Chu-Lin and Observers from
Taiwan
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LIST
OF AAEA OBSERVERS
|
|
Head
of the
Mission
|
|
1.
|
Philippine
|
Mr.
Benjamin S. Abalos
|
Chairman,
Commission on Elections
|
|
Deputy
Head of the
Mission
|
|
2.
|
Taiwan
|
Ms.Mei-Chu
Lin
|
AAEA
Executive Secretary,Secretary General, Central Election
Commission
|
|
Observers
|
|
3.
|
Bangladesh
|
Justice
Mr. M.A. Aziz
|
Chief
Election Commissioner,
Bangladesh
Election Commission
|
|
4.
|
Bangladesh
|
Mr.
Syed Mohammed Zakaria
|
Secretary
,
Bangladesh
Election Commission
|
|
5.
|
Cambodia
|
Mr.
Buddhi Klok
|
Vice
Chairman, National Election Committee
|
|
6.
|
Cambodia
|
Mrs.
Kendevy Klok
|
Wife
of Mr. Klok
|
|
7.
|
Cambodia
|
Mr.
Kien Thay
|
Assistance
to Vice Chairman, National Election Committee
|
|
8.
|
India
|
Mr.
Rajesh Aggarwal
|
Director-Cum-Principal
Secretary, Election Commission of
India
|
|
9. |
Indonesia |
Ms.
Chusnul Mar’iyah, Ph.D |
Commissioner,
Indonesian Election Commission (KPU) |
|
10. |
Indonesia |
Mr.
Beny Pangbin |
IT-Team
Coordinator 2004 Election, KPU |
|
11.
|
Mongolia
|
Mr.
Jigjidsuren Yadamsuren
|
Chairman,
General Election Commission of
Mongolia
|
|
12.
|
Mongolia
|
Mr.
Soronzonbold Yadamsuren
|
Senior
Officer, General Election Commission of
Mongolia
|
|
13.
|
Pakistan
|
Mr.
Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad
|
Secretary,
Election of
Pakistan
|
|
14.
|
Papua
New Guinea
|
Mr.
Paul B.B. Bengo Cbe
|
Register
of Political Parties, Electoral Commission
|
|
15.
|
Philippine
|
Mrs.
Corazon Abalos
|
Wife
of Chairman Abalos
|
|
16.
|
Philippine
|
Mrs.
Milagros Desamito
|
Director
of the COMELEC
|
|
17.
|
Philippine
|
Justice
Mrs. Teresita Dy-Liacco Flores
|
AAEA
Senior Consultant Executive Justice, the
Philippines
|
|
18.
|
Philippine
|
Mr.
James Arthur B. Jimenez
|
Staff
of AAEA Secretariat
Director III of the COMELEC
|
|
19.
|
Taiwan
|
Mr.
Ming-Hsien Yu
|
AAEA
SecretariatDirector, Central Election Commission
|
|
20.
|
Taiwan
|
Mr.Tzung-Yu
Lai
|
AAEA
SecretariatStaff, Central Election Commission
|
|
21.
|
Taiwan
|
Mr.Yu-Chang
Chang
|
AAEA
Consultant
|
|
22.
|
Taiwan
|
Mr.Hank
Han-Ching Liu
|
AAEA
Consultant
|
|
23. |
Tajikistan
|
Mr.Mirzoali
Boltuev
|
Chairman,
The Central Elections and Referendum of the
Republic
of
Tajikistan
|
|
24. |
Tajikistan
|
Mr.
Suhrobi Goibov
|
The
Chief Specialist, The Central Elections and Referendum
of the
Republic
of
Tajikistan
|
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