Sri Lanka Suspends Local Government Polls for Want of Money

  • Polls were scheduled for March 9; fresh date on March 3
  • Bankrupt nation seeking IMF program amid cash crunch

Soldiers stand guard during demonstration to urge the government to hold local council elections, in Colombo on Feb. 22. 

Photographer: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images

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Sri Lanka will not hold local government polls scheduled for March 9 due to a lack of funds, the island’s Election Commission said in a statement.

The commission said it will seek the intervention of the Parliament’s speaker to get the required funds from the treasury.