News
Local council elections likely in January next year
View(s):By Damith Wickramasekara
The long-delayed local council elections are set to take place in January next year, with the Election Commission due to start preparations soon after the parliamentary poll.
The elections were earlier estimated to cost more than Rs eight billion, and the Election Commission will send new estimates to the Treasury to obtain funds for the conduct of the election, according to Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake.
He told the Sunday Times the EC had previously asked for Rs. 8 billion for the local council elections when it made preparations to hold the polls in 2023, but as the cost of the elections would likely be higher than that, they would be sending in fresh estimates.
EC sources said the commission would give about two weeks’ rest to the staff after the conclusion of the parliamentary elections before starting preparations for the local council polls.
Meanwhile, the government is planning to call for fresh nominations for the Local government election by cancelling the previous nominations.
Minister Vijitha Herath told the Sunday Times that the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act needed to be amended before the election was held.
“We need the agreement of other parties for this to go ahead. We are of the view the Act needs to be amended,” he said.
Mr. Herath said the government was looking to cancel the nominations for the 2023 local council elections to enable parties to submit fresh nominations.
The minister explained that many parties had appealed to the government to cancel the earlier nominations since circumstances had changed significantly since the nominations were submitted.
“These nominations are nearly two years old now. Some parties have fractured into different groups, and some candidates have joined other parties. Some have left politics altogether. Even some candidates from our party have left the country while one has passed away,” the minister said.
In August this year, the Supreme Court ordered the EC to make preparations to hold the local council elections as early as possible.
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