COLOMBO – The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on Monday (21) called for early conduct of local council elections, in an apparent act of defying President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s stance.
“We will write to the Election Commission, requesting to discuss with the finance minister and make arrangements to hold the election early,” SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told reporters in Colombo, signalling his party’s determination to expedite the electoral process.
President Wickremesinghe, who also serves as the finance minister, had previously postponed elections for more than 340 councils due to the financial crisis gripping the island nation.
The scheduled election, initially slated for March 9, was indefinitely delayed due to a lack of funds in the national treasury.
The matter is currently at the Supreme Court, with the Opposition urging the court’s intervention to force the government to proceed with the election. The cases are scheduled for hearings in September.
Wickremesinghe maintains his stance that elections could be conducted once the country emerges from the crisis.
The local government elections, which are held every four years, were last conducted in 2018.
Though political parties had nominated candidates to contest the election, , the election commission said it was unable to hold the polls due to the non-release of funds from the treasury.
Kariyawasam highlighted the challenges faced by SLPP candidates, many of whom are seeking re-election, as they are bound by election laws that restrict their participation in public activities during the election period.
“Either the election must be held or our candidates must be freed from legal restrictions on electioneering,” he emphasized, underscoring the party’s concerns.
Wickremesinghe, a member of the United National Party (UNP), assumed the presidency after the SLPP voted for him to complete the balance term of Gotabaya Rajapaksa (until November 2024) who had to resign in July last year following nationwide protests against him for mishandling the economic crisis in Sri Lanka.
However, the party now grapples with internal divisions.
The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), along with other groups, including SLPP breakaways, alleges that Wickremesinghe’s reluctance to hold local elections stems from fears of his party’s defeat.
-PTI
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