LG election: Letter instructing district secretaries to suspend accepting deposits recalled

The letter issued to all district secretaries instructing them to suspend accepting deposits from candidates for the upcoming local government (LG) election has been recalled, the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs & Local Government says. 

Earlier today, in a video statement, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa shed light on a letter, signed by the ministerial secretary Neil Bandara Hapuhinna, instructing all district secretaries to stop accepting deposits for the LG election until further notice, pursuant to a decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers.

He accused certain advisors and officials of the presidential secretariat of being engaged in a ‘national coup’ to postpone the local government election.

Premadasa, slamming the attempts to defer the election, called on the government not to play with the people’s right to vote.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission reiterated that it is the responsibility of district secretaries, who are appointed as district returning officers, to make sure the deposits placed by the election candidates are accepted.

The letter, addressed to all district returning officers, was issued by the commissioner-general of the election body, Saman Sri Ratnayake.