But in a scathing indictment of the government, two bishops from areas where polls were held on January 27 said the results lacked credibility in view of serious allegations ofirregularities against ruling party supporters.

``Surviving the polls was like surviving a war,'' said Chilaw bishop Marcus Fernando. ``Can any government body that grabbed power by blatantly unethical means win respect of the governed. Is such a body morally legitimate?''

Another church leader from nearby Kurnegala, bishop Raymond Peiris, said ``this was not a free and fair election as people coming to vote were intimidated and their polling cards forcibly taken.''

The country's influential Buddhist clergy which is opposed to Kumaratunga's autonomy proposals for the Tamil-dominated northeast have already accused the government of making a mockery of the polls by indulging in violence.The business community, which recently launched an initiative to bring about an understanding between the ruling and opposition parties over peace proposals to end the ethnic conflict, has also condemned the violence during the polls.

In advertisements in local media here today, the National Committee for Peace andEconomic Development, headed by top businessmen, condemned the incidents and called for ``responsible and accountable'' behaviour from all politicians. The committee, however, refrained from naming any particular political party. The UNP too issued advertisements against the polls and asked the people to join its protest rally on February 2.