33. Amendment of the Ninth Schedule to the principal enactment

Official English translation. Where it differs from the Sinhala or Tamil text, the Act itself says which text prevails.

The Ninth Schedule to the principal enactment is hereby amended as follows:-

(1)

in regulation 17 of that Schedule by the substitution for the words, “before the close of the poll” of the words, “seventy two hours before the commencement of the poll”;

(2)

by the substitution for the regulation 18 of that

Schedule of the following regulation:-

18. The returning officer shall, any time after placing the unopened covering envelopes in to the postal voters ballot box and before the commencement of the poll, open the postal voters ballot boxes and separate the covering envelopes contained therein, in respect of each ward. Once the covering envelopes are separated, the returning officer shall put all the covering envelopes in respect of each ward in a separate envelope for such ward and seal and submit it to the counting officer appointed for the relevant ward on the day before the date of poll along with ballot papers and other articles.”;

(3)

by the substitution for regulation 19 of that

Schedule of the following regulation:-

19. The returning officer shall, immediately before the commencement of counting of the ballot papers, cause the counting officer appointed for a ward to open the relevant covering envelopes containing postal ballot papers for such ward and proceed to count them.”;

“The covering envelopes containing postal ballot papers to be separated according to wards.

“Counting of postal ballot papers.

(4)

by the repeal of regulations 20, 21, 22, 23 and paragraph (1) of regulation 24 of that Schedule;

(5)

by the repeal of paragraph (c) of regulation 28 of that Schedule and the substitution therefor of the following paragraph:-

“(c) written declaration of the votes given to each candidate;”;

(6)

in form A of that Schedule –

(a)

by the substitution for the words, “the polling division, the polling district” of the words,

“the polling district, name and the No. of the ward”;

(b)

by the substitution for the words, “Polling division letter” of the words, “Polling District

No. :”; and

(c)

by the substitution for the words, “Polling

District No.” of the words “Name and the No.

of the ward:”.

Read on from s 34