Attorney General seeks to postpone polls

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 March 1999, 14:16 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Attorney General filed a motion on behalf of the Elections Commissioner in the supreme court this afternoon seeking its permission to postpone the polls to five provincial councils that are scheduled to be held on April 1.

The move follows increasing protests from Christians who object to the polls being held on the day before Good Friday.

The Catholic Church says that the curfew routinely declared once polling is finished will affect Church goers on Good Friday. The Church said that it will file a fundamental rights case in the supreme court on March 5 and hold a peaceful mass protest in all parts of the country on Sunday March 7.

Three vicar generals of the Catholic church in Colombo, Rev.Joe E.Wickramaratna, Rev. Kingsley Jayamanne and Rev.Placidus de Silva held a press conference in Colombo this afternoon to explain the Church's opposition to the date of the polls, unaware of the motion filed by the Attorney in Supreme Court.

Catholics say that the polls can be held before March 29 if the supreme court order and provincial council elections law which bind the elections commissioner require him to hold them on or before April 1.