Video: EC rejects ‘Janapathi Janahamuwa’

20 March 2014 09:17 am Views - 7878

Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya today said he had informed the responsible authorities that he did not agree with programmes such as ‘Janapathi Janahamuwa’ TV programme being telecast during the Western and Southern PC polls and that they had accepted it.
 
Responding to a journalist at today’s news briefing regarding opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s letter on President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ‘Janapathi Janahamuwa’ TV programme during the Western and Southern PC polls, Mr. Deshapriya said the UNP, JVP and the Democratic Party had marked their protests to him on the issue.

Mr. Deshapriya said election propaganda restrictions cannot be put only on state owned TV stations. It was obvious that private TV stations had also sided with one or more political parties,

On the issue of making it mandatory to have a minimum educational qualification to be eligible to contest for a political office, Mr. Deshapriya said the character, integrity and self-respect of a candidate was more important than educational qualifications to become a successful politician, and added that Sri Lanka had produced excellent politicians from among those who had lesser education.(Ajith Siriwardana)

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