Polls chief cancels leave

Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake has directed that leave of all the staff attached to the Asissistant Commissioner of Elections offices in the districts of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura and Kegalle be cancelled with immediate effect until the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils elections are concluded.

The UNP with a view to forming a Broader Alliance reached an agreement with the SLFP (M) led by former Minister Mangala Samaraweera and the Western Peoples Front led by Mano Ganeshan. They were to hold talks with the SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem. The General Secretary of the SLMC M. T. Hassen Ali, speaking from his Hospital bed at the Delmon Hospital, said that it would be most probable that they would join this alliance to challenge the UPFA after consulting the Party’s High Command next week.

A very confident President Mahinda Rajapaksa last Saturday requested all the constituent party members of the UPFA to submit their lists of prospective candidates for the forthcoming Provincial elections to UPFA General Secretary and Minister Susil Premajayanth by June 20.

Peoples Liberation Front (JVP) Somawansa Amerasinghe was not available for comment, but Party sources said that there were moves to form a Broader Socialist Alliance before the nominations closed on July 4.

Additional Commissioner of Elections (Provincial and Local) W. P. Sumanasiri said that the Gazette notification announcing the date of the period of nominations from June 27 to July 4 noon had been issued.

The Commissioner of Elections is to commence interviewing the members of the 11 new political Parties, including the National Freedom Front, led by Ex JVP (MP) Wimal Weerawansa, today for Registration to be concluded by the latter part of June.

The Asisstant Commissioner of Elections for the Kegalle District P. A. S. Senaratne said that according to the Electoral Register for 2007 there were 600,000 voters who were eligible voters. All Registered Political Parties could hand in their nomination lists by 12 noon on July 4 and all Independent Groups should hand in their deposits of Rs 42,000 by 12 noon on July 3. Each nomination list should have the names of 21 members to elect 18.

The Asisstant Commissioner of Elections for Polonnaruwa W. H. R. Wijayakumar said that according to the Electoral Register for 2007 there were 277,055 voters who were eligible. Each nomination list should contain the names of 13 members to elect 10 and each Independent group should deposit Rs 26,000 by 12 noon of July 3.

The Asisstant Commissioner of Elections for the District of Ratnapura M. A. B. C. Perera said that according to the Electoral Register for 2007 there were 725,000 voters who were eligible to vote. Each nomination list must include the names of 27 members to elect 24 and each Independent group must hand in their deposit of Rs 54,000 by 12 noon on July 3rd.

The Asisstant Commissioner of Elections for the Anuradhapura District S. M.Saman Bandulasena said that According to the Electoral Register for 2007 there were 600,000 eligible voters. Each nomination list must include the names of 24 members to elect 21 and each Independent Group should deposit Rs 48,000 by 12 noon on July 3.