Elections for 23 local bodies on 8 October

The Elections Secretariat of Sri Lanka has fixed 8 October for the elections of the remaining 23 local government bodies.

The nominations closed yesterday at 12 noon for the third round of the local government elections.

Elections will be held for 17 key municipal councils, one urban council and five Pradeshiya Sabhas.

The first phase of the local government elections in Sri Lanka this year was held in March while the second phase of elections for the councils of those elections were postponed due to legal actions were held in July.

The elections for the majority of these 23 local councils were postponed due to the Cricket World Cup matches held in March.

The vast majority of the elections in the Southern parts of Sri Lanka were won by the ruling coalition while the Tamil National Alliance won the majority of councils in the Northern Province.

This election is considered the most important of all the local government elections since some of the major municipal councils including the vital Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) are up for elections on 8 October.