Breaking News, News
Complaint made to polls chief over candidate using military in advertisement
14 Oct, 2019
A complaint has been made at the Election Commission saying a candidate contesting the Presidential Election 2019 has violated the Code of Ethics announced by the Election Commission by using statements made by military officers.
The complaint made by the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) states that despite the requirement of every candidate contesting the Presidential Election to abide by the Code of Ethics set out by the Election Commission when conducting their election campaigns, a violation of the Code of Ethics had taken place as appeared in a paper advertisement.
Three newspapers had carried full-page advertisements which featured statements made by former Triforce Commanders about Presidential Candidate, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
One example that stands out is the statement made by the present Army Commander, Lt. Gen Shavendra Silva on the 28th of December 2009.
Lt. General Silva is still the Army Commander on active duty and the use of his statement compromises the integrity of civil-military relations in Sri Lanka, CMEV said.
CMEV further believes that the integrity of the election would be severely compromised if other candidates also adopted this practice.
Recommended For You
