The cracks within the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on the Presidential Election issue have widened with the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) led by MP Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam deciding to boycott the election.

The ACTC is one of the constituent parties of the TNA since its formation in 2000. The party had taken the decision at its Central Committee meeting held in Jaffna recently, party sources said.

Mr. Ponnambalam told Daily Mirror that his party had already taken the decision, and would convey it to the alliance soon. (Read More)

Major election monitoring groups in the country have shown conflicting opinions on the election process and the choosing of foreign election monitors for the upcoming Presidential election.

CaFFE (Campaign for Free and Fair Elections) said yesterday that the country was seriously in need of foreign election monitors and that the backing out of UN and EU monitors from the election monitoring process was a loss to the country in terms of carrying out a free and fair election.

CaFFE Director, Keerthi Tennakoon said that apart from the recent impasse that has risen between the Sri Lankan Government and the EU with regard to the GSP+, the more obvious reason for not sending an elections monitoring team is because the recommendations that they propose are never implemented. “When the EU sent a monitoring team to Sri Lanka at the last Presidential Election in 2005 EU officials warned that if the Government and the Elections Commissioner’s Department did not implement their proposals they would not participate in any more elections in the future,” Tennakoon said. (Read More)

UVA Provincial Council member Mehemal Munasinghe fielded by the Jathika Nidahas Peramuna (JNP) who contested the PC election in August this year pledged his support to common opposition candidate Gen. Sarath Fonseka yesterday.

Mr. Munasinghe who is an injured soldier appeared at the General’s stage at Badulla last evening and pledged his support to him. He got on to the stage amidst loud cheers and embraced General Fonseka and pledged his support.

JNP Leader Wimal Weerawansa introduced him to politics during the Uva provincial council elections.

The UPFA which has 25 seats in the provincial council will lose one seat with this crossover while the opposition has managed to increase its seats up to 8. This comprises UNP 7, JVP 1, Up Country people’s party which supports the UPFA has one seat.

Mr. Munasinghe who came eighth in the Badulla District list in the provincial council election polled 26,377 votes.

However, such identity cards issued to voters for the Eastern Provincial Council elections would not be valid, he said.

A total of 170,049 temporary identity cards were issued to voters to exercise their franchise at the recently conducted provincial council elections.

Provincial wise, 18,184 temporary identity cards in the Western Province, 19,928 in the Uva, 32,110 in the North Central, 33,550 in the Central, 22,223 in the Wayamba and 28,131 in the Southern Province were issued in lieu of national identity cards. These were valid only for voting.

Regarding the temporary identity cards issued in the East for the Eastern Provincial Council polls, Dissanayake said it had been found that proper procedure had not been followed in the issuance of some identity cards in the East and as such they won’t be valid for voting in the Presidential election. But steps have been taken to issue eligible voters in the East with new temporary identity cards in lieu of national identity cards.

However, all voters in all provinces who do not possess national identity cards could apply through Grama Niladaris and obtain temporary identity cards within three weeks, he said.

Dr Karunaratne also warned the Sri Lankan electorate not to be caught in a "deadly game of chess played by the two equally blood-drenched, chauvinistic representatives of Global Capitalism."

Issuing a statement to the media, Left Front presidential hopeful Dr Karunaratne said the elections are held once again at the cost of some Rs 12 billion of public funds and both Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonskea represent "two equally bloody, corrupt and parasitic Capitalist Alliances."  (Read More)

Weerawansa threw this challenge at a press conference at the party head office in Battaramulla yesterday.  (Read More)

The Presidential Secretariat in a media release yesterday refuting media reports said that no public funds have been used for meals provided at functions held at Temple Trees and that these have been met by political party funds and voluntary contributions from well wishers.

Following is the full text of the release:

"We refer to some media reports alleging the misuse of public funds for the campaigns of candidates in the current Presidential Election.

The allegations mainly refer to meals given at state expense, use of official vehicles and State buildings for the campaign purposes of candidates. Reference has also

been made to the meals provided at the functions held at Temple Trees.

The Presidential Secretariat wishes to state that no public funds have been used for such expenses for the President Mahinda Rajapaksa's reelection campaign.

All expenses for meals and related costs for the recent functions held at Temple Trees have been met by political party funds and voluntary contributions from well wishers.

The Presidential Secretariat requests all individuals and organizations to refrain from making such baseless allegations without verification of facts.

TNA MP and Independent Presidential Candidate M.K. Sivajilingam has been deported by the Indian Emigration authorities immediately after he disembarked at the Chennai airport on  Saturday, to attend a conference titled ‘Eelam People’s Living Rights’ organised by Tamil Nadu LTTE sympathiser P. Nedumaran in Tanjavur.

Mr. Sivajilingam was heading towards India from London via Dubai on Saturday. He had landed at the Chennai airport at 3.00 am on Saturday on an Emirates flight ‘EK 542’ and was deported around 3.30 am.

Explaining the ordeal he faced in Chennai, the TNA MP told the Daily Mirror yesterday that he was deported to London via Dubai thought he insisted that he be sent to Colombo.   (Read More)

During the past several days six complaints had been lodged at police stations on election related incidents and nearly 30 persons had been questioned by the police in this regard, the police elections desk said yesterday.

Most of the incidents were reported where supporters of major political parties engaged in removing or tearing down cut-outs, banners and other election propaganda material, DIG Gamini Navaratne who is in charge of the police elections desk said.

Speaking about the removal of election propaganda material that violates election law he said it was progressing steadily.

He said that most of the incidents had been settled as most of the organizers in different electorates had been advised to prevent such incidents in their electorates, DIG Navaratne said.