Delay in gazetting COVID-19 guidelines major obstacle in holding polls: Lanka EC

Sri Lanka’s Election Commission on Thursday said it is committed to hold the parliamentary elections on August 5 but would wait until next week to assess the COVID-19 health threat to see if the polls can be held safely.

Sri Lanka’s Election Commission on Thursday said it is committed to holding the parliamentary elections on August 5 but would wait until next week to assess the COVID-19 health threat to see if the polls can be held safely. Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said he must ensure that the election would not contribute to the community spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have no intention to postpone the election but we have to address the concerns raised by the public health inspectors," Deshapriya said. He said the delay in gazetting the health guidelines issued on COVID-19 to be practiced during the election is a major obstacle in holding the polls.

The guidelines issued in early June still remains to be given legal effect. The Commission held a meeting on Wednesday and it was decided to re-appeal to the health authorities to gazette the guidelines.

The Election Commission officials will meet next on July 21 to assess the latest situation in the country, which has reported over 2,600 cases. Deshapriya said the gazette was needed to make the guidelines legally binding "Without giving legal effect to the guidelines the public health inspectors would not be able to enforce the guidelines," he said.

"The health inspectors told us no one pays heed to them in the absence of the gazettee. The delay to issue the gazette impedes our process to hold the election". The Commission is contemplating a move to have mobile polling booths for those who have been placed under quarantine in order to prevent them from arriving at polling booths on election day.

The election has been twice postponed and the Opposition groups want it to put off until the threat of the pandemic is over. The government has dismissed it as a "politically-motivated demand by the divided opposition which is facing defeat".

The parliamentary polls were initially to be held on April 25 but had to be postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which prompted the authorities to announce a nationwide lockdown from March 20. Later, the election commission shifted the date to June 20. It was again deemed not suitable in view of the raging pandemic.

Finally, August 5 has been selected for the poll process. Over 16 million voters are to vote to elect a 225-member parliament for a five-year term.

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