Election Commission chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said resolving the issues regarding the new electoral system would enable the commission to call for Provincial Council election nominations in mid-October for the Northern, Central, North-Western, Southern, Western and Eastern provinces.
Deshapriya said it would be the responsibility of parliament to approve the report of the delimitation committee for the demarcation of electorates in Provincial Councils, with a two-thirds majority clearing the way for the polls.
He said the election commission has sent a special request letter to all political parties requesting them to commit to hold the Provincial Council elections as soon as possible.
He said the registration forms for the electoral register will be sent to district poll officers by May. “The distribution of these forms will commence by mid-May and will conclude on July 30. By September we will be able to finish with the revisions on the electoral register,” he said.
Deshapriya said the commission will request for three months to prepare for the election. “The last time we prepared for a hasty election, we were thrown into a difficult position. So we will request for three months to prepare for the election,” Deshapriya said.
Deshapriya also said the election commission together with PAFFREL will hold a workshop for representatives of political parties and other civil organisations on the necessity of holding the Provincial Council elections.
