Mahason Balakaya’s Amith Weerasinghe among first to hand over election nominations

As nominations for the April 25 Parliamentary election opened yesterday, Amith Weerasinghe of Mahason Balakaya was among the first to hand in nominations to contest from an independent group in Kandy.

Weerasinghe, who is on bail and facing charges for allegedly posting content promoting racial and religious hatred on social media, will contest from Independent Group One in the Kandy District.

Eighty six independent groups have so far placed their cash deposits to contest in the upcoming General Election 2020, as required under the Parliamentary Elections Act, the Elections Commission said.

Cash deposits of Rs. 2,000 per candidate must be paid by independent groups wanting to contest the Parliamentary Election, and will be accepted until noon on 18 March. Registered political parties are not required to make cash deposits to contest this election.

The nomination period for the General Election opened yesterday and will end on 19 March.

Employees in the State sector who are qualified for postal voting have until 16 March to submit their applications to the Returning officers of each District, through the Certifying Officer of the State Constitution. (CK)