Video: We’ll work with other opposition parties in PCs - UNP

3 April 2014 08:50 am

The United National Party (UNP) said today anti- government votes had been recorded as 46% in the Western Province and 41% in the Southern province and said itwould work with other opposition parties in the twoprovincial councils.

UNP parliamentarian LakshmanKiriella told a news conference the international community had lost confidence in this Government and said Sri Lanka could not hope to rebuild its international image by winning elections.

“The international community has lost faith in the elections in Sri Lanka. Evenforeign election monitors are not interested in coming here to monitor elections because the Government ignores their recommendations. The independent institutions including the elections department are controlled by the president under the 18th Amendment. This has led tothe international community losing faith in the elections here,” Mr. Kiriella said.

UNP Leadership Council President KaruJayasuriya said the Government had blatantly violated election laws by using the entire state mechanism in its favour at the recently concluded provincial council elections.

“The local election monitors have said that this election was not free and fair and in the situation where allegations of human rights violations, the lack of democracy and transparency in Sri Lanka does not bode well for the country,” Mr. Jayasuriya said.(Ajith Siriwardana & Yohan perera)

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