By Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo

Eelectoral commission says that all posters should be removed and it was “not morally correct” for the president's picture to be presented

It said such rules were widely flouted in the January presidential poll, in which President Mahinda Rajapaksa won re-election.

The governing coalition is bullish about its chances of winning a big majority in the 225-seat parliament.

But the electoral commission wants everyone to start obeying the strict rules which decree that all posters and giant cardboard cut-outs of candidates must be removed, unless they are at party offices or used at pre-election meetings.

Rules 'flouted'

The rules are now being roundly flouted, especially on the government side.

Posters of government candidates are plastered around the country, mostly targeted at their respective home areas.

	The government supporters are accused of flouting the rules

In the far south images of President Rajapaksa, his three brothers and his son, who are all in politics, gaze down on roads and streets.

An official at the electoral commission explained to the BBC that all posters should be removed, adding that even though the president is not a candidate, it was “not morally correct” for his picture to be so presented.

The police spokesman, Prishantha Jayakody, said labourers were being recruited and that from this weekend they’d be helping the police to remove the offending articles.

Both men admitted that this would not be an easy task. The electoral official said it was quite possible that posters would be removed only to be replaced the next morning.

After the presidential election the Elections Commissioner, Dayananda Dissanayake, admitted that he “could not even ensure the safety of one ballot box” and said he had done his duties “under great duress and mental agony”.

A few days later, however, he withdrew his earlier request to resign from the post.

For the past month the government has detained the losing candidate, Sarath Fonseka; it says it will try him with various offences in both military and civilian courts.

The pro-Fonseka coalition has split into two.