Further reports are still to come.
However, we have also received reports from our observers that indicate a large scale breakdown of the electoral process in a number of areas in eight of the electoral districts. The violence and disorder that prevailed in those areas was of a level that amounted to a denial of a free and fair poll. A high level of violence, intimidation and ballot stuffing leading in some cases to an interruption of the poll itself was reported in the electoral districts of Kandy, Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Matale, Gampaha, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Nuwara Eliya. It should be noted that these were also the same areas in which conditions were most unsettled during the election campaign. There was adequate notice to the government and political parties to address these problems.