Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday assured that provincial council elections in the north of the island will be held in September.

Speaking at an event in Welioya in north central Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa said that the people of the north had suffered immensely from the 30-year war against Tamil Tiger rebels which ended in May 2009.

Rajapaksa said that those people will now have a chance to have provincial council elections and he hopes to have those elections in September.

However, he said that the date of the poll would be decided based on the advice of his astrologer.

Some government members and allied political parties on the island have objected to holding elections in the north.

Government Minister Wimal Weerawanse said in February that the northern provincial council should not be allowed to fall into the hands of separatist forces.

He warned that if such elements obtain power in the council following the scheduled elections later this year, they will look at dividing the country once again.

Weerawanse said that if separatist forces contest and win the election, they will gradually ask for police and land powers.

The minister further said that Sri Lanka is now faced with a key national challenge to ensure the northern province does not fall into the hands of separatist forces and by virtue of that into the hands of international forces looking at dividing the country. Endi