Sri Lanka’s elections office announced today that presidential elections will be held on November 16th.
The elections come at a crucial time for the island, in the wake of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed hundreds and the UN Human Rights Council's decision earlier this year to grant a two year extension to Sri Lanka to implement a resolution which mandates a hybrid accountability mechanism for mass atrocities.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary, who oversaw the military offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils in Mullivaikkal, officially launched his presidential bid last month.
The United National Party (UNP) is yet to announce their candidate, with names such as Sajith Premadasa, Karu Jayasuriya and current Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in the mix.
The Elections Secretariat said nominations will be accepted on October 7th.
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