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EC considers holding polls on staggered basis
The conduct of the next parliamentary elections on a staggered basis is now under discussion, Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said yesterday.
The Commission’s three-members should sit together and take a final decision, he told the Sunday Times. Should the Commission decide on such a course, he said, the counting of votes would be held in one day.
This option is being considered because of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic in which the number of infected cases has registered a spike. The return to normalcy may not necessitate staggered polls but such a possibility would take considerable time.
Mr Deshapriya explained there was no specific legal provision for staggered polls. However, it could be carried out through a notification specifying the districts in which the polls would be held on a particular day. Thereafter, another notification would specify another set of districts. How many days the polls would be staggered would also have to be decided upon by the Commission, he said.
It was on April 20 that the Election Commission gazetted that parliamentary elections would be held on June 20. Chairman Deshapriya, however, made clear that he still was empowered to put off this date too if conditions did not permit the conduct of the polls. Government sources said such a postponement was also a strong likelihood.
Chairman Deshapriya had a meeting with political party representatives. He said it was “not a review meeting” but one to ascertain their views on polls related matters.