EPRLF election hopes restored?

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Elections Commissioner told the court of appeal this afternoon that he will take the necessary administrative measures to allow the EPRLF to contest the five local government bodies in Jaffna, the group's nominations papers to which he had rejected last month on technical grounds.

He was responding today to the EPRLF's writ filed in Sri Lanka's court of appeal challenging the Election Commission's rejection of its nominations.

Mr.Dayananda Dissanayaka, the commissioner, said in court that he had no authority to postpone the Jaffna polls on account of the court proceedings.

The court postponed the hearing on the TULF's writ to January 15 as there is a counter plain filed against the TULF's writ by the PLOTE which has necessitated further inquiry by the courts.

Sources said that the TULF had approached the PLOTE today to persuade the group to withdraw its counter plaint to facilitate a favourable response from the Commissioner of Elections.

Dr. Neelan Thiruchelvam who had approached the PLOTE on behalf of the TULF had offered the party's support in elections to all the local government bodies in the peninsula except the Jaffna municipality where the Mayor would be from the TULF and the Deputy mayor from the PLOTE.

The group is yet to respond to the offer.

If the PLOTE were to withdraw its counter plaint, then, according to legal sources, the elections Commissioner is most likely to change his decision and accept the nomination lists of the TULF which were rejected in Waligamam north and Jaffna municipality, the only local bodies to which the party was to contest.

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