LG polls won’t be postponed

by P. Krishnaswamy

Commenting on the request of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to defer the date of Local Government elections, an authoritative source of the Elections Department told the Sunday Observer that there is no provision in the Election Laws to comply with the request.

Public announcements have already been made on the date of closing nominations and Local Government bodies have to meet before April 1. As such it is not possible to defer the date for closing nominations or the date of elections, the sources said. The date of elections will be announced after nominations close on January 20, he said.

A TNA delegation led by party Secretary General Mavai Senadhirajah met top officials of the Elections Department on Thursday and requested an extension of the closing date for nominations and also the date of elections on account of the natural disasters that have caused widespread destruction, huge displacements of people and other impediments in the entire Eastern province. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) also requested to defer the date of closing nominations.

Elections to 301 Local Government bodies will be held in mid March while decisions to hold elections on the remaining 29 Local Government bodies in Colombo, Kandy, Galle and Hambantota districts will be taken after the conclusion of the World Cup matches on April 2, the sources said.

Almost ninety percent of Local Government bodies functioning in the Southern parts of the country are controlled by the UPFA, according to sources of the Ministry of Local Government and Provincials Councils.

The Ministry has been conducting Performance Improvement and Evaluation Performance Management programs among Local Government bodies since 1980.

In coordination with Provincial Councils, last year the Matara MC, Kuliyapitiya UC and the Wariyapola PS were selected as the best, the sources said.