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Two Sri Lanka provinces to go to polls in August

COLOMBO: Amid the raging war in the North, Sri Lanka will hold elections for the Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provinces in August.

The Election Commission, late on Saturday, set the process in motion with the announcement that nominations will be accepted between June 27 and July 4.

The announcement follows the dissolution of the Councils of the two provinces by President Mahinda Rajapaksa last week after the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) lost majority as a consequence of the decision of Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna (JVP) to function independently.

The Election Commission announced the schedule even as main Opposition group United National Party (UNP) filed two fundamental rights applications in the Supreme Court challenging the dissolution of the Councils.

Political observers believe that Mr. Rajapaksa has deliberately chosen to go in for fresh elections to test the popularity of his own regime vis-À-vis its handling the war amid 30 per cent inflation.

Mr. Rajapaksa seem to proceed on the assumption that given the dissensions with the UNP and the split in the JVP, it is the right time to test the pulse of the nation in two of the predominantly Sinhala-dominant provinces.

In recent weeks, the Opposition parties had stepped up campaign against the government over its “inept” handling of the war against the LTTE and failure to contain the rising cost of living.

In a sign of shifting political alignments three days ago, the former President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, the former Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the former Foreign Minister and dissident Sri Lanka Freedom Party leader, Mangala Samaraweera, appeared at a rally aimed at galvanising opinion against the government.

It is against this background that the coming two elections become a kind of referendum on the Rajapaksa government.

Incidentally, it would be the first election in the Sinhala-dominated provinces since the November 2005 presidential election.

The outcome of the elections could also decide the fate of Parliament though its tenure lasts till 2010.

Separately, the Air Force claimed to have destroyed a “key LTTE combat-logistic facility” located at Venavil, southwest of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaittivu district, on Sunday.

Large explosions were heard from the target site, said spokesperson Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara.

He said the facility was used to convert, maintain and service the LTTE’s combat vehicles.

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