The president, taking opposition parties and media by surprise, announced last night that the polls would follow the crucial January 25 elections in the northwestern provincial council, considered by analysts as a test for ruling People's Alliance (PA) and the opposition United National Party (UNP).

In a letter to country's chief election commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake, the president said the government had now adequate number of security forces for poll duty, a reason for which she had postponed the elections earlier through a proclamation in August 1998.

The dates for the polls are yet to be finalised. Even as the official media projected the decision as the ``confidence'' of the president, the UNP said the president ``feared an adverse judgement inthe fundamental rights case filed by several candidates questioning her powers to postpone the elections.''

It said the government had become ``nervous'' and the fact could be gauged from recent assurance by the attorney general to supreme court that a ``compromise formula would be worked out soon with the election commission.''

The analysts said president's move was a big surprise for opposition parties as they expected her to wait till the outcome of results of January 25 provincial poll.

Ruling as well as opposition parties have worked hard for the northwestern poll with top political stalwarts jumping into the campaigning arena.

Chandrika addressed over half-a-dozen well attended public meeting during which she attacked the UNP for its reluctance to support her efforts to restore peace in the country and end the 15-year-old ethnic conflict.

UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe is also campaigning hard criticising the government for its failure to restore peace and the spiralling cost of living.

Oneperson has been killed and several others injured in pre-election violence. Independent poll observers recorded over 500 incidents of violence until yesterday.