Senior DIG Gamini Nawarathne said that special

Meanwhile 18 monitors of the Asian Election
Superintendents Association arrived in the island last
Sunday at the invitation of the Elections Commission.
They held a special meeting with Elections
Commissioner Dayananda Dishanayake yesterday at the
Elections Secretariat. They were briefed on how to
monitor the election activities and they will begin
the duties from today.
Information has revealed that the election propaganda
activities of the contesting parties of the provincial
council election in the eastern province are in an
enthusiastic situation.
Local and foreign election monitors have been
deployed by the PAFFREL to investigate the election
activities.
The election secretariat says all arrangements have
finalised to conduct the election free and fair.
Voting will begin 7.00 am and end 4.00 pm on
Saturday.  The counting of votes is expected to begin
on 7.30 pm and counting of postal votes begins 4.00 pm
on the same day.  The results of the election will be
released from the election secretariat in Colombo.
  A senior officer of the secretariat said the results
of the election will be issued through e-mail to media
institutions from the secretariat.  It hopes to
announce the first result by midnight. 1,342
contestants will contest the election on Saturday for
37 seats.