Sri Lanka has announced its decision to delay its scheduled parliamentary elections this year. In the past few weeks, we have seen a number of countries and states in the US move their elections, Serbia, Iran, Poland, Ohio amongst others, due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus.
As COVID-19 has now become a global pandemic, more countries have made the decision to close polling spaces in an attempt to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the disease. Understanding that there are no effective remote options for voting yet, we expect more countries with elections scheduled this year to go down this path.
Up Next, Sri Lanka
Mahinda Deshapriya, the chairman of the electoral commission in Sri Lanka, has announced that the country will not be conducting parliamentary elections in the country as scheduled on April 25 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“Even if the WHO says Sri Lanka is free of this virus tomorrow, we will not be able to conduct the election on April 25. Whether we can have the vote in May, June or July will depend on how quickly the virus can be tackled,” he said.
The Situation in Sri Lanka
So far, there have been over 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19 detected in Sri Lanka. Earlier this week, the country banned all incoming flights for two weeks and imposed a 6 pm to 6 am curfew in some areas to mitigate the spread of the disease. Only public transport and essential services are permitted to pass through these areas during the curfew.
In the same vein, the government has declared a period of working from home for both public and private sectors starting from March 20 to 27.
What of the Economy?
Reuters reports that, in a bid to stem a sharp slide in the Sri Lankan rupee, the nation’s central bank has ordered all banks to suspend funding imports of motor vehicles and non-essential goods.
Bottomline
The postponement is indefinite and could give the incumbent president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is running for office again, some time to rally support and get a two-thirds majority in parliament when the election eventually happens, allowing it to change the constitution and secure him wider powers.
