At a seminar hosted by the Sri Lanka Press Association (SLPA), Election Commission (EC) Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake delivered a strong warning to media institutions over their adherence to EC norms.
The Sri Lanka Press Council auditorium hosted a lecture recently under the topic “Media’s Role in Free and Fair Elections.”
Rathnayake issued a warning, stating that media organisations who disobey the EC’s rules risk dire consequences. “The official results of the presidential election scheduled for September 21 will not be sent to media institutions that do not follow our guidelines,” the spokesperson declared. He emphasised that a number of TV stations have frequently broken the rules set forth by the EC by preferring particular presidential contenders in their biassed coverage. He said that such stations persisted in endorsing solely their chosen candidates in spite of several cautions. “If they persist in disregarding our guidelines, we will cease our relations with them and will not issue official results. The official findings would not be able to be published, Ratnayake continued.
“EC Chairman warns media institutions that are acting erroneously.”
The Chairman also spoke about difficulties pertaining to illicit campaigning, pointing out that presidential candidates have received warnings from the EC about breaking election regulations by promoting other candidates. Additionally, the Commission has decided to prohibit cell phones inside polling places in order to stop instances like the one that occurred when a photograph of a marked postal ballot paper surfaced on social media. “The individual responsible for releasing the marked ballot paper is now under arrest. We shall impose a mobile phone ban in voting stations in order to stop these kinds of incidents on election day, Ratnayake clarified.
Ratnayake highlighted that all election-related preparatory arrangements were completed, and he asked the media to support efforts to guarantee fair competition for all contenders. Additionally, he stated that unofficial findings shouldn’t be made public since they can deceive people. “With 38 candidates in the fray, each one can have five agents in counting rooms. These agents can struggle to adequately record the outcomes, though, which causes differences between unofficial and official statistics. It is vital that unofficial results are not released since this might mislead voters, he said.
