Sri Lanka crisis: The March 9 polls would only have picked local councillors but would be the first electoral test for Wickremesinghe since he took office in July after months of protests.
Sri Lanka's independent election commission indefinitely postponed local polls Friday after the president -- installed by parliament last year after his predecessor fled -- refused to fund the vote.
The March 9 polls would only have picked local councillors but would be the first electoral test for Ranil Wickremesinghe since he took office in July after months of protests over the island's worst-ever economic crisis.
They were seen by many as a de facto referendum on unpopular austerity measures he has imposed as he seeks to secure an International Monetary Fund bailout.
But the five-member election commission panel said the vote would not be held as scheduled as Wickremesinghe's administration had refused to provide the necessary 10 billion rupees ($27 million) and logistical support.
The announcement came a day after Wickremesinghe warned parliament that holding an election during the economic crisis could be disastrous.
"We will not have a country if the economy does not develop," he said.
Wickremesinghe, who replaced Gotabaya Rajapaksa after protesters stormed the presidential palace, has implemented swingeing tax hikes and price rises in an effort to secure the IMF bailout.
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