ECONOMYNEXT — Leftist National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake believes that Sri Lanka’s presidential election will likely be held on September 28, the MP said.
Speaking at a rally in Kandy on Tuesday July 16, Dissanayake said the election commission has said avoiding inauspicious times such as the ‘Rahu’ period and other factors would have to be considered when deciding the date of the election.
“They have said the Rahu period will be considered when deciding an election date. Taking all this into account, what we feel is that the presidential election will most probably held on September 28,” he said.
Chairman of the National Election Commission R M A L Ratnayake told the media on Tuesday that the commission will publish the notice announcing nomination and election dates before the end of July.
“Our first task is to publish the notice on the election. From the day the notice is published, nominations have to be accepted between 16 and 21 days. The election should be held within four to six weeks of from the day of accepting nominations,” said Ratnayake.
“The candidates must have enough time to do their campaigns after handing over nominations. Time is also needed to cast postal votes and carry out other duties. The election date should also be convenient for the voters. For the acceptance of nominations, we have to consider cultural factors unique to a country like Sri Lanka. Some people consider things like the Rahu period. So we have to find a date that is suitable for everyone,” he said.
Ratnayake said the election commission intends to issue the notice before the end of July.
“This notice will contain the nominations date and the election date. We plan to then hold the election on the most suitable day after September 17.
“Some people had suggested that we have delayed this to end July to the benefit of one party or another. I want to point out that we can delay we can extend it to August 20 if needed,” he said. (Colombo/Jul17/2024)