By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Provincial Council polls could be held safely under strict health guidelines, election monitors yesterday told The Island.

National Coordinator of the Centre for Monitoring Election violence (CMEV), Manjula Gajanayake said that practices like physical distancing and wearing masks had become a part of people’s lives and the manner in which the general election was held was a good template to follow in the coming election.

“We have experience in holding an election under COVID-19 before and we did it successfully. If proper systems are in place, we should be able to hold Provincial Council elections, in a few months, in a safe manner.”

Executive Director of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), Manas Makeen said that educating the people on how to behave during the election was the key to holding a safe election.

“In the August 2020 general election, the polling centres adhered to proper guidelines on the election day. However, during the campaign there were many instances where there was no physical distancing. But since COVID-19 guidelines have now been gazetted, PHIs should be able to enforce these laws.”

Last week Election Commission Chief Attorney-at-law Nimal Punchihewa told The Island that the government could easily prepare the ground for the Provincial Council polls by effecting a simple amendment to the Provincial Councils Election Act.

Asked whether the EC was making preparations for the PC polls in following its meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Punchihewa said that as a new Act in respect of PCs had been ratified by Parliament during the previous administration and the polls couldn’t be held in the absence of a delimitation process.

Therefore, the polls couldn’t be conducted in terms of the new Act in the foreseeable future, the EC Chairman said. The only way to hold the much-delayed PC polls was to introduce an amendment to suspend the new Act pending the conclusion of polls in terms of the previous Act, he said.

Asked how fast the EC could move in case they secured the parliamentary approval as suggested by him, a confident Punchihewa said that arrangements could be finalized within 10 to 12 weeks.