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No NPC, so no polls: Commissioner

25 Mar 2013 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Elections Department stated that elections in the Northern Province could not be held as the Northern Provincial Council was yet to be constituted by the President.

The Department said despite the government finalising plans to hold the Northern Provincial Council Elections they were unable to begin the election process as the Northern Provincial Council did not exist.

Elections Commissioner, Mahinda Deshapriya said that after the de-merger of the North- Eastern Province in 2006, only the Eastern Provincial Council had been gazetted when the elections for the province were to be held.

“The Eastern Provincial Council was gazetted and the President then ordered the Elections Department to hold elections in the province - the same procedure should be followed in the Northern Province but we have not received our orders as yet,” the Elections Commissioner said.

He further stated that the whole election procedure would take three months and if elections were to be held in September they would have to receive the Presidential order by May.

Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) commenting on the government’s decision to hold elections in the Northern Province said the elections for the province had been delayed under the ruse of resettling Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s).

TNA MP, M. A Sumanthiran said the government had held a Presidential and General election three years ago and he saw no reason as to why a Provincial Council election needed to be postponed. “Resettlement is not yet complete but if they can hold two major elections during this time, then why not this?” he questioned.

During an interview to the Hindu Newspaper in India last year, President Mahinda Rajapakse stated that elections for the Northern Province were to be held in September this year. Taking note of this statement, the recently passed US backed resolution against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) had welcomed the government’s decision to hold elections in the Northern Province. (Nabeela Hussain)

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No NPC, so no polls: Commissioner

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