Latest developments indicate that LG poll won’t take place on March 09 – IRES

Text  by PRIYAN DE SILVA

The Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES), Manjula Gajanayake, said that the current developments indicated that the Local Government poll will not be held on March 09, as scheduled.

The IRES boss said that if the poll was to be held on the scheduled date, the Government Printer would have to complete and hand over all printing, related to the LG poll, to the EC, at least five days before the election. He said that it was doubtful whether this could be accomplished, even if the printing was done 24 hours a day.

He also said that it was evident that pressure was being brought upon top government officials to disrupt the poll. He pointed out the Government Printer’s sudden change of mind, last Monday, to renege on her assurance to deliver the ballot papers, for the postal vote, on time, and reliable information that the Secretary to the Treasury had tendered his resignation, on Tuesday, as cases in point.