11 candidates arrested in Lanka for violating election laws

 At least 11 Sri Lankan candidates contesting the parliamentary polls have been arrested for violating election laws.

Sri Lanka will go to polls on November 14. A total of 8,888 candidates will be contesting in the general elections.

The parliamentary election is scheduled following the presidential election that was held on September 21 in the cash-strapped nation. Third would be the local council elections in December.

Saman Sri Ratnayake the Director General of the election commission said candidates have been placed under watch for possible violations and if found guilty they could be unseated if elected.

At least 11 candidates have been arrested.

Police Spokesperson DIG Nihal Thalduwa said that they were arrested on the charges of distributing leaflets, displaying posters and banners, and staging protests at police stations to free suspects.

The election would see a new 225 member assembly for a five year term. Over 17 million voters are eligible to vote.

The election came one year ahead of the schedule due to the presidential election win by the ruling National People’s Power (NPP).

The new president Anura Kumara Dissanayake dissolved the assembly three days after being elected in September.

Dissanayake vowed to revise the IMF programme to grant concessions to people hit by the economic crisis.

The opposition groups charge that Dissanayake’s popular election pledges have come a cropper and the NPP being political novices, a parliament with experienced members would be needed to deal with economic recovery.

The campaigning officially ends on mid night of November 11.