Election monitor hints at general election date; polls chief surprised

COLOMBO (News1st): Sri Lanka's election chief, often known for his humor, has drawn social media attention following his response to a Facebook post of a former governor concerning the general election. Keerthi Tennakoon, a former provincial governor had posted a remark saying "the date of the general election has been finalized?", creating suspense as to whether the election commission has decided on the date of the election. Tennakoon was once a director of election monitoring group Campaign For Free and Fair Election (CaFFE). In response, national election commission (NEC) chairman Mahinda Deshapriya had sarcastically responded saying "wonder who decided on the date?", much to the amusement of social media users. The general election which was scheduled to be held on April 25, was postponed due to COVID - 19. The NEC had requested the President to seek a Supreme Court determination on the final date of the poll, citing constitutional issues that could arise due to this situation, only to be turned down by the President's Office. The NEC is scheduled to meet on April 20 to arrive at a decision in this regard.