COLOMBO, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Voting for the parliamentary election in Sri Lanka has started on Wednesday as polling booths were opened at 7:00 a.m. local time.
The Elections Commission said 16.2 million people will be eligible to vote in the elections which will see some of the main political parties eyeing for a majority seat in the new parliament containing 225 members.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak which has infected over 2,800 people in the island country, strict health measures have been put in place in all polling booths across the country. The elections commission has made it mandatory for all voters to wear masks and if necessary to carry their own pens when visiting the polling booths to cast their votes.
A one-meter distance must be maintained by all those present in and out of the polling booths while hand hygiene will also have to be maintained at all times.
Over 12,500 polling booths have been set up across the country for the parliamentary polls which will be manned by health authorities, election officials, and local election observers.
Over 7,000 candidates are contesting Wednesday's parliamentary elections from political and independent parties with the main political parties being the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna led by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya led by former presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa and the United National Party led by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Voting for the parliamentary polls will end at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday local time, the elections commission said.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday said the new parliament will convene on Aug. 20.
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