COLOMBO: The unity government of two major political parties in Sri Lanka is likely to face its first major test when the provincial councils go to polls by the end of the year.
The Chair of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya said the notice calling for nominations for three of the nine provincial councils would be issued by October 2.
According to the elections act, the nominations should be finalised within three weeks thereafter when the polls date would be announced. The election must take place between five or eight weeks from such notice.
The election would be the first since the unity government of President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in 2015.
The government has faced accusations of delaying the elections for over 300 local councils since 2015.
The Opposition has alleged that the government was delaying elections due to fear of losing while the government maintains that delimitation of electoral boundaries of local council areas and connected legislation needs have delayed holding the election.
The previous Mahinda Rajapaksa administration was accused of carrying out delimitation to suit the needs of certain individuals.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s the United National Party (UNP) and President Sirisena’s the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have been together in a government of national unity since September of 2015.
A section within the SLFP who are bitterly opposed to an alliance with the UNP wants to quit the government, alleging that the government's path had been unsatisfactory to deliver pledged made to voters.