Nominations called for Local government elections

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 January 2006, 16:36 GMT]
The Commissioner of Elections has called for nominations from registered political parties and independepent groups under the proportionate representation with effect from February 9th to February 16 at noon 12, department sources said.

The final day of nomination is February 16th. The Commissioner of Elections will announce the date of election in March this year. Elections to three hundred and thirty local government institutions- eighteen Municipal Councils, forty two Urban Councils and two hundred and seventy Pradesiya Sabah will be on one day, election department sources said.

Of the 330 local government institutions, seventy-seven are located in the northeast province. There are two Municipal Councils, eight Urban Councils and 61 Pradesiya Sabah in the northeast province, sources said. Since 1994 no elections to local government institutions in the province are held. In the year 1999 nominations were accepted for these local institutions but later postponed due to the unsatisfactory ground situation to hold elections.

The parliament last week approved a legislation to cancel all nominations submitted by political parties and independent groups as number of the candidates in those lists were dead, gone abroad or changed their political affiliation, sources said.