Lanka poll monitors record high levels of state resource abuse during presidential campaign

Record abuse of state resources for 2015 presidential election is taking place, the official People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) has claimed.

The Lanka Page web site quotes PAFFREL, as saying that so far 150 violations relating to the abuse of state power, resources and misuse of the state sector employees for election purposes have been reported to it during the first 35 days of the pre-election period.

In contrast, during the entirety of the 68 day pre-election period of the 2010 presidential election, only 53 incidents relating to the misuse of state resources for campaign purposes were recorded.

The election monitor says the abuse of state resources for election purposes in this election is well organized and systematic with little or no regard for Electoral Laws.

During the run up to the 2010 Presidential Election, a total of 757 cases of electoral law and general law violations (both confirmed and unconfirmed) were recorded for the entirety of the pre-election period of 68 days.

For the 2015 election, with nearly two weeks to go for the actual election day, over 500 (both confirmed and unconfirmed) incidents have already been recorded by PAFFREL.