Strong possibility of conducting Local Govt elections on April 26

There is a strong possibility that Local Government elections will take place on April 26th Saturday, Times online learns.

The Election Commission is scheduled to hold its  regular Election Commission committee meeting next Thursday, February 27, 2025.

“However, this does not necessarily mean that we will decide the election date on that day. We may convene earlier and determine when the LG election will be held,”Chairman of the Election Commission R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said.

He said there are suggestions from both the opposition parties and the ruling party regarding as to when the elections should be held.

“However the commission makes its decisions based on the Local Government Election Act. Our decisions are not influenced or interrupted by factors such as the budget or any other external matters”, he said..

"Opposition parties met with the Election Commission members and requested an extension for calling nominations until the last possible moment. They asked us not to announce the nomination date until the budget process in Parliament was completed. On the other hand, the ruling party urged us to announce it earlier. We consider all suggestions, but we proceed in accordance with the Local Government Election Act," emphasized Election Commission Chairman.