Candidates promise no election violence during pope’s Sri Lanka trip

Cardinal Ranjith says he has received assurances that the contentious poll will go smoothly.

Colombo:  Church officials say they have received vows from the opposition candidate and the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa that the results of next month’s presidential election will be accepted without protests or post-election violence.

“Both [opposition and incumbent] candidates assured the bishops that they can control election violence before and after the election,” said Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith at Abhayarama Temple in Colombo on Thursday evening.

“Bishops asked them explicitly whether after the election, [they will accept] that only one will be victorious and one will be the loser. Then both agreed to welcome the Holy Father as scheduled on January 13 and avoid post-election violence,” Ranjith said at a press conference during a Congress of Religions event.

The election coincides with the long-planned papal visit on January 13-15. Concerns have been raised over the potential for violence, but also that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has tried to capitalize on the papal visit in his battle for an unprecedented third term. Last month, election posters featuring Pope Francis and Rajapaksa were displayed in neighborhoods around the capital Colombo.

Church officials, in turn, have called for a postponement of the election, while some Catholic voters have urged the pope to cancel his visit altogether.

“We appealed to the government to either postpone or give more time for the papal visit after the election,” Ranjith said.

Rajapaksa, 69, called the election two years ahead of schedule and faces an unexpected challenge from his former party general secretary and health minister, Maithripala Sirisena. They are considered the two strongest candidates among the field.

The Congress of Religions, made up of leaders from a range of faiths, appealed to the political parties to ensure free and fair elections and avoid violence.

Professor Bellanwilla Wimalaratne Thero, a Buddhist monk, said the candidates should speak truthfully without stirring up hatred.

“There was election violence in the earlier presidential elections, and we appeal [to] all citizens to exercise their rights of selecting their leader without fear,” he said.

Opposition political parties, meanwhile, demonstrated at the Elections Secretariat yesterday to call for a free and fair election.

Already, election observers say there is an increase in the number of complaints about pre-election violence compared to previous polls.

Keerthi Tennakoon, executive director of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections, said that 317 complaints have been lodged and that police have not arrested the suspected culprits in some places.

“Several shooting incidents have been reported and an unidentified group destroyed the stage of an opposition candidate and the group burned a vehicle with a sound system for a meeting," Tennakoon said.

“There have also been complaints that the military has been used to campaign for the president,” Tennakoon added.

The Vatican confirmed the pope’s three-day apostolic visit to the country in July. During the visit, Pope Francis is set to canonize the 17th century Indian missionary priest, Blessed Joseph Vaz.

Some lay leaders and priests expressed concern over politicization of the papal visit and appealed to the Vatican to delay his trip to the country.

Jehan Perera, executive director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka, said he had renewed hope over the past two weeks, as the number of violent incidents began dropping. But, he said, it was important that the government takes pains to prevent violence.

“There is a possibility of post-election violence and the settling of scores in the aftermath of a close and bitterly fought election,” Perera said.

“The pope's visit would be a positive factor in ensuring that the security forces and police do not permit post-election violence to get out of hand,” he said.

Source: ucanews.com