Published 11:13 IST, August 5th 2020
Sri Lanka: Voters assemble in long queues wearing masks as poll begins
Polling booths in Sri Lanka opened at 7 am sharp, election officials were seen wearing protective face coverings and transparent face shields to begin polling.
On August 5, Sri Lankans assembled in long queues at the polling stations adhering to health safety measures, donning masks, and following social distancing during the parliamentary elections. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hopes the new parliament will strengthen his support and fulfill his presidential election pledges. Rajapaksa is seeking for the two-thirds majority (225 members) in Parliament to restore presidential powers that were limited in the 2015 constitutional change, according to reports.
With at least 16 million population in Sri Lanka eligible to vote, citizens need to elect 196 of 225 members to the parliament, the remaining to be appointed from the national list of the majority party. As many as 54 political parties are contesting in 22 districts. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s elder brother, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is seeking a majority of 225 seats to be the PM. The polling booths opened at 7 am sharp, as election officials were seen wearing protective face coverings and transparent face shields. Medical officers were deployed at the polling stations to ensure precautionary measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, reports confirmed.
We have deployed over 8,000 health officials to conduct the election. The main objective is to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe said.
For those on home quarantine, polling would be allowed from 4 pm. We hope by then most voters would have voted and polling stations would not be crowded, he said.
Voters asked to bring 'own pen'
In order to avoid the spread of infection, voters at the booth were asked to bring their own pens to mark their ballots, additionally, special booths were set up for those under quarantine, according to a report. Chairman of the Election Commission, Mahinda Deshapriya was quoted as saying that there will be no chance of voters getting infected by the coronavirus at polling stations considering the safety protocols followed. He added, polling stations were safer than the beach, the restaurant, and the marketplace, and were totally corona free. Deshapriya said that the army would not be deployed during the entire election period. However, the Army is currently providing security to police stations as forces there are assigned for election duties, he said, as per a news agency report.
Sri Lanka recorded 2,828 cases of the coronavirus in total, with over 11 fatalities from the disease so far as of August 5. Sri Lanka's election voting is expected to end by the evening of August 5 and the counting will begin on August 6. Results are expected to be declared by August 7. The election commission in mid-April had reportedly postponed the elections by nearly two months due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
[Sri Lankan polling officers carry election material as they dispatch them to polling centers ahead of the parliamentary elections in Colombo, Sri Lanka.]
[Sri Lankan police officers stand with polling officers as they prepare for Wednesday's parliamentary elections in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020.]
[Sri Lankan polling officers dispatch election material to polling centers ahead of the parliamentary elections in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020.]
[Supporters of Sri Lanka's ruling party candidate Wimal Weerawansa listen to a speech during an election rally in Colombo, Sri Lanka]
[Sri Lanka's main opposition candidate Sajith Premadasa, center, waves to supporters during a meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka]
[Sri Lankan Prime Minister and older brother of the country's current president Mahinda Rajapaksa, center, greets supporters during an election rally in Colombo, Sri Lanka]
[A Sri Lankan polling officer carries election material to dispatch them to polling centers ahead of the parliamentary elections in Colombo, Sri Lanka]
(Images Credit: AP)
(With Agency Inputs)
Updated 11:13 IST, August 5th 2020