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| Sunday, 15 June 2003 |
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Politics |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Local polls in NE still in the balance by P.Krishnaswamy Speculation is rife as to whether the local government elections in the North and East, scheduled to be held on June 25 will be put off for the third time. Nominations were filed for the 53 local government bodies, including three municipalities, six urban councils and 44 pradeshiya sabhas in February last year. A Supreme Court decision over a fundamental human rights application on this matter is expected within the next few days. A Bill tabled by the UNF Government to empower the Commissioner of Elections to cancel nominations already filed was challenged in Courts by JVP lawyer, Sunil Watagalla, on behalf of his party's youth candidate who had filed noiminations. He took the position that under provisions of the existing elections laws which require 25% youths as candidates. The JVP candidate in question was nominated last year, but he would forfeit that opportunity extended for youth candidates if the nominations already filed are cancelled. The SC decision on this fundamental rights application will be forwarded to both the President and the Speaker of the House in the next few days, Courts sources said. Holding elections either on the scheduled date, postponement to a further date or receiving fresh nominations will depend on the SC decision. After receiving nominations during the first week of February 2002, the Commissioner of Elections first fixed the date of election for March 25 but later postponed it to September 25 on the reason that the ground situation was not conducive to holding elections. It was again postponed to June 25, 2003. Assistant Commissioners of Elections for Jaffna, Trincomalee, Vanni, Batticaloa and Ampara where the elections are due, said that they are ready to hold the elections on June 25 unless they receive instructions otherwise during the course of next week. |
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