LG elections: EC hopes Govt. will act soon

Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said he hoped the government would act swiftly and in earnest to enact legislation to clear the bottlenecks which are delaying the local government elections.

He said the draft Bill had been gazetted ahead of presenting it in Parliament and the gazette notice, specifying the number of candidates to be elected to each body, would become effective from July 1, clearing one of the hurdles for conducting the polls.

Mr. Deshapriya said the deadlock was caused by the major shortcomings in the current law and the failure on the part of the subject minister to announce the number of members to be elected.

The elections are overdue by more than two years. (Kelum Bandara)