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Govt. cites pandemic, says local council polls cannot be held
The Government has decided to extend the period of local government bodies by one year, claiming the present situation was “not condusive” to hold local government elections, a senior Government source said.
The prevailing Covid-19 pandemic has been cited as the main reason for the postponement of the election. The source also said that the chairpersons of the respective local government authorities have also urged the government to extend their terms, as although funds had been allocated to them work that had been started could not be completed owing to disruptions from the pandemic.
The large cost involved and the number of officials needed to hold the election next year have also been cited as reasons for the Government to extend the period of local councils by one year.
The Public Administration Minister has already presented a Cabinet Memorandum to extend the term of local government bodies owing to to these reasons. The memorandum is yet to be approved. The source, however said that Cabinet is expected to approve the proposal at next week’s Cabinet meeting.
While the Opposition is accusing the government of trying to extend the term of local government bodies due to political reasons fearing defeat, the government source noted that the previous Yahapalana government also ruled without holding local government elections for more than two years.
The Budget allocations for local government authorities will be disbursed among the respective authorities to continue with their development activities, the source said.
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