The Election Commission has made all necessary arrangements to hold the local government elections, which have been delayed multiple times by previous administrations. The newly elected government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, is also preparing for the elections.
Reports indicate that a special discussion on the local government elections took place during the first cabinet meeting of the current administration, chaired by the President. During this meeting, a proposal was reportedly made suggesting that the elections should not proceed with the current nominations already submitted to the Election Commission. Instead, it was proposed that new nominations be called for.
As a result, the government is said to be planning to submit a proposal to Parliament to call for fresh nominations for the local government elections.
Although the elections were initially scheduled for 2020, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa postponed them for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequent delays occurred under the leadership of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who cited a lack of funds as the reason for further postponements.
However, following legal action by several parties, including the opposition, the Supreme Court ruled that the elections must be held and concluded without delay. In response to this, the Election Commission has now decided to hold the local government elections in early 2025.
