COLOMBO (News 1st); Postal Voting for the Local Government Election was postponed indefinitely, said the National Election Commission on Tuesday (14).
A Senior Official at the NEC told News 1st that the decision was taken as the funds required to print the ballot papers for the Postal Vote were not received.
The National Election Commission had planned for the Postal Vote to take place on 22nd, 23rd, and 24th of February 2023.
The National Election Commission informed the Political Party Secretaries that it will not be able to direct the ballot papers for Postal Voting tomorrow (15), as previously planned.
This was revealed by the Secretaries of the Political Parties who met with the National Election Commission on Tuesday (14) morning.
The Secretaries of the Political Parties revealed that the National Election Commission is yet to decide on whether or not the Local Government Election will be held on the 9th of March 2023.
Local Government polls to be postponed?
In what seems to be an indication that the local government election may be postponed, the Election Commission Chairman Nimal Punchihewa has informed Party General Secretaries that it will not be possible to distribute postal vote ballot papers from tomorrow (February 15).
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjit Madduma Bandara told Daily Mirror that the Polls Chief confirmed that the distribution of postal vote ballot papers scheduled to be distributed tomorrow had been halted.
“We told him not to go back on his word given to the Supreme Court. He assured the Supreme Court that the local government election will be held as planned and we told him to keep his word,” Madduma Bandara said.
“The polls chief also told us that he is not getting sufficient support from the Attorney General and indicated that he would refer the matter to the Supreme Court once again,” Madduma Bandara added.
UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara said the polls chief has indicated that the election will not be held as scheduled.
“The Polls Chief confirmed that the government printers have informed him that ballot papers will not be printed until due payments are made,” he said. (Yohan Perera) DM