The country has registered 11 deaths and around 1,860 cases of the new coronavirus as of Wednesday, with the rate of infection slowing in recent weeks and no new fatalities reported since the beginning of the month.
A supporter of Gotabaya Rajapaksa cheers along the street in Colombo, Sri Lanka (File Photo: IANS)
Sri Lanka is all set to hold its parliamentary elections on August 5, the country’s National Election Commission (NEC) announced after it postponed the crucial polls twice due to restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, NEC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said, “We couldn’t hold the election before because of coronavirus. We have done our best. The parliamentary general election that was to be held on June 20 will be held on August 5”.
He further said that the decision was taken unanimously by all three members of the NEC.
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The election was originally set for April 25 but the commission rescheduled it for June. Peiris said the commission chose that date expecting the country’s lockdown would be lifted by the end of this month.
The date was shifted to June 20 after lockdown measures were announced in mid-March.
The country has registered 11 deaths and around 1,860 cases of the new coronavirus as of Wednesday, with the rate of infection slowing in recent weeks and no new fatalities reported since the beginning of the month.
The President Gotabaya Rajapaksa expressed these views during a meeting with the members of the newly-appointed Task Force held at the Presidential Secretariat and later discussed modalities relating to the resumption of civilian life and work from May 11.
Parliament’s term was to end in September but the president has the power to dissolve it six months ahead of schedule, and also to reconvene it in an emergency.
The government imposed curfew restrictions in March after the corona cases escalated.
The first Sri Lankan national infected with the disease was reported on March 11.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sworn-in as president after an easy victory in the November 16, 2019 polls on the back of an agenda focused on national security.
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