By Rathindra Kuruwita
National Freedom Front (NFF) Chairman Wimal Weerawansa claimed that Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake had assured him that there was no problem with the NFF using the crown as its party symbol.

“We met the Elections Commissioner and discussed this issue and he told us that we could continue using the crown as the party symbol and that it is not an issue,” Weerawansa said.

He also added that they hope to receive confirmation soon that the Elections Commissioner would accept the NFF as a registered political party. The NFF had met with Dissanayake mid this month.

Last month several concerned parties, including the National Movement for the Protection of Sri Lankan Heritages, asked the Elections Commissioner not to allow the use of the crown as the symbol of a political party.

In a letter sent to the Commissioner, they vehemently opposed the NFF using the crown symbol, adding that national symbols like the crown, the throne, the Lion Flag and religious symbols should not be used as symbols by political parties.

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