Fuel, gas and essential food items should be freely available before any future election – EC Chairman

Text and picture by PRIYAN DE SILVA

Chairman of the Election Commission Nimal G Punchihewa said that the people’s basic needs should be taken care of before an election was held.

Punchihewa said that as the people were under immense pressure, they were tensed and easily provoked by having to spend long hours in queues to purchase fuel while the skyrocketing prices of essential food items was aggravating the situation as well.

“Any election held under the present circumstances may not be free and fair as there is a tendency for people to become unruly and protecting polling booths will also be a major concern” he warned.

Punchihewa reiterated that if the government was not capable of addressing the fuel and gas crisis within the next few months holding an election this year was out of the question.

The EC Chairman said that under the circumstances the cost of holding an election would be over ten billion rupees. The last parliamentary election cost the tax payer six billion rupees of which Rs 280 million was spent on fuel alone. “The price of fuel has trebled today.”