SL Presidential election in 2005- Election Commissioner

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 14:39 GMT]
Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake, Commissioner of Elections Monday explained his decision to hold the next presidential election this year in a letter to Supreme Court sent through his lawyer Mr.Elmo Fernando Monday saying that he considered the Gazette Notification issued on December 22, 1999 on which date the incumbent President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge took oaths for her second term as valid legal document, legal sources said.

He said in his statement that he has directed his staff to make arrangements to hold the next presidential election this year based on the Gazette Notification issued on 22 December 1999.

"I will inform the date of the next presidential election this year as stipulated under Section 31.2 of the Constitution that the date of the election should be fixed not less than one month and not more than two months prior to the expiry of the second term of presidency," the Election Commissioner has informed the Supreme Court, legal sources said.

Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge contested and won the Presidential election held in 1999 November and she took oaths as Sri Lanka's President for the second time on 22 December 1999.

Monday was the last date to file objections to the petition filed by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party in the Supreme Court seeking the apex body to order the Commissioner of Elections to hold next Presidential election before the end of the this year, 2005 as stipulated in the Constitution.

The three-member bench of the Supreme Court two weeks ago after preliminary inquiry fixed the inquiry into the petition before a five-member bench on August 22, legal sources said.

On the same day the Chief Justice Mr.Sarath Silva who chaired the three-member bench instructed the parties concerned in the matter to file their objections on or before August 15 in the SC enabling the five-member bench of the SC to take up all objections and submissions on August 22 on this matter, legal sources said

The JHU cited the Commissioner of Elections and the Attorney General as respondents.