Health guidelines for poll must be gazetted : CaFFE

COLOMBO (News1st): An election monitoring group has stressed that health guidelines must be gazetted before the parliamentary election on August 5. The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) pointed out that the government has delayed gazetting the guidelines to be following during the election. "This has posed a serious threat," CaFFE Executive Director Manas Makeen said in a statement on Sunday. He pointed out that the guidlines must be followed and not simply gazetted. "The government has to gazette them so officials can enforce them. No one has opposed these guidelines but no one seems to follow them while campaigning," Makeen added. He pointed out that failure to take immediate action would result in a health crisis and impact vote turnout.