An independent polls watch dog here said Sunday that Sri Lanka's election authorities had taken an important step toward free and fair elections in the island nation by making voter identification a must at this month's local election.

Kingsley Rodrigo, the executive director of the People's Action For Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), said "this is a very good action taken by the Elections Commissioner and for the first time in the country's history voter identification has been made compulsory."

At their meeting with the elections chief Dayananda Dissanayake held on Saturday, Rodrigo said it was decided to call for the national identity card or any other form of certified identity document such as passports in order to be able to vote at the March 30 election.

He said the law to make the national identity card compulsory at election was passed in 2004 but the implementation became difficult as over 400,000 people have not been issued identity cards.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) said that the law must be held back until the Elections Commissioner was satisfied that every registered voter was issued with the national identity card.

At all previous elections the voters were able to vote with the official poll card issued by the Elections Department without any form of identity papers being asked at the polling station.

Dissanayake, the elections chief, has often criticized the politicians for not taking interest to implement the national identity card proposal that had been adopted at a parliamentary select committee as far back as 1988.

The March 30 poll is aimed at electing representatives to some 330 local councils throughout the country including the Tamil rebel held areas.

Source: Xinhua