The anti-LTTE Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP) has captured the Pudukudiyiruppu Pradeshiya Sabha, under whose jurisdiction comes the area where the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has his headquarters.
Returning Officer AS Karunanithy said in a notification on Saturday that the EPDP was elected unopposed because only they had a valid list of nominees.
Karunanithy asked the Secretary of the EPDP to finalise the names of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and the members of the Sabha within seven days.
The EPDP is led by KN Douglas Devananda, an arch foe of the LTTE, who is currently a key member of the Mahinda Rajapaksa cabinet in Colombo.
The LTTE has made many attempts on his life. The last one was during the on-going ceasefire.
EPDP sources refused to comment when asked how its nominees would be able to go to Pudukudiyiruppu in the first place, leave alone run the Pradeshiya Sabha.
The LTTE does not allow any of its rivals to enter the territory it controls.
But the battle is not over yet. Precedents suggest that the EPDP's rivals can go to court, though the relevant law says that the decision of the election officer is final and conclusive.
The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) had gone to court after its list for the Jaffna Municipal Council was rejected. And as a result of a settlement rather than a court order, the TULF eventually contested and its nominee became the Mayor of Jaffna.
{{/usCountry}}The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) had gone to court after its list for the Jaffna Municipal Council was rejected. And as a result of a settlement rather than a court order, the TULF eventually contested and its nominee became the Mayor of Jaffna.
{{/usCountry}}According to the election law, a party's list can be rejected even if there is one technical flaw in regard to one of the persons in the list.