Low voter turn-out in Sri Lanka
13/04/2010
Voters have failed to turn out in great numbers for the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections, it has been revealed.
Many people in the north of Sri Lanka - which has seen conflict in recent times - declined the option as they are dissatisfied with circumstances after returning home following months of displacement, Irin News reports.
Around 55 per cent of the country's 14 million registered voters cast their ballots on 8 April 2010 - the first time such polls have taken place since the government declared victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Koneshwaran Bala, a resident who has recently returned to the town of Oddusudan in the Mullaitivu District, said: "There is no leader at the national level that talks about our sad state. I am not bothered at all to vote."
It was reported last month that the northern region of Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka was having difficulty dealing with an influx of more than 24,000 returnees.
Written by Simon Bassett
