EC announces 20 June as new date for General Elections

• Gazette announcing new election date issued last night
• Decision on 20 June taken after lengthy meeting of EC members
• EC has been under pressure to fix new date for poll
• Opp. parties have called for postponement amidst COVID-19 fear

The Election Commission fixed 20 June as the new date for the holding of the General Election, exactly a month after it announced that the poll which was scheduled for 25 April was postponed due to the coronavirus.

The Gazette notification with the new poll date was issued last night.

The election date was decided by the members of the Election Commission after a lengthy meeting amidst growing pressure from the Government to fix a new date for the election. The General Election fixed for 25 April was postponed by a Gazette notification issued on 21 March after the finalisation of the nomination process.

Both President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa have informed the EC in the past two weeks that it is the responsibility of the Commission to fix a new date for the poll while opposition parties have been united in their call for the poll to be delayed, saying the threat from coronavirus remains.

The Prime Minister wrote to the EC on Saturday saying that the EC has no power to postpone the poll without fixing another date.

“On 2 March, the President dissolved Parliament and fixed 25 April for the poll and 14 May for the first meeting of the new Parliament. 

10 days later, when the first coronavirus patient was found, the President did not have the power to postpone the poll.

“Under Section 24(3) of the Parliamentary Elections Act No. 1 of 1981, when the poll cannot be held on the day fixed by the President, the Election Commission is mandatorily required to fix another day for the poll,” the Prime Minister said.