Local elections on March 1

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 January 2002, 14:58 GMT]
The United National Front government Tuesday decided to hold the local government elections on March 1 this year, including in the northeast province, authoritative sources said. Elections to fourteen municipal councils, thirty-eight urban councils and two hundred and fifty eight 'pradeshiya sabhas' (village level councils) would be held on the same day, UNF government said.

Of these local institutions, three municipal councils, four urban councils and seventy-four pradesiya sabahs are in the northeast province, election department said.

The Commissioner of Elections will notify the dates for submitting nominations very shortly, officials said.

The life term of the local government bodies in the northeast province was extended last year by then the People's Alliance government for another one year, which would end in April 2001. However the government appointed State officials as authorized officers to run these councils instead of holding fresh elections. Councils elected by the people now run the local government institutions in the other seven provinces.