19 June 2020 12:00 am
By Lahiru Pothmulla
At a meeting held with officials of the Elections Commission on Wednesday, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assured to create the background to hold a free and fair election while giving priority to health protection of the people as preventive mechanisms will continue for several months.
Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya and two other members Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole and N.J. Abeysekara attended the meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat along with other officials.
The President said the Ministry of Health had issued recommendations for the conduct of elections amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
“This will be recorded as the first election to be held under such circumstances. As such, the Government will extend its fullest cooperation to the Elections Commission to make the election process a success while adhering to health guidelines,” the President said.
He said the Government took all possible measures to control the spread of COVID-19 virus.
“This operation was not aimed at elections but to ensure the well-being of the people of this country. The elections can be held without any obstacle if the public is aware of the situation,” said the President adding that the prevention mechanism would continue for several months.