The Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government has issued detailed guidelines outlining the procedures for selecting the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of local government bodies in situations where no single political party or independent group has secured more than 50% of the total seats.
According to these guidelines, which include provisions for conducting either secret or open ballots and instructions for requesting nominations from members, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the opposition have managed to gain control of several local councils by adhering to the specified procedures.
However, in a special statement today, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa alleged that the government, disturbed by the opposition’s gains, has now moved to arbitrarily revise and implement changes to the established guidelines.
Citing page 7 of the official guideline document, Premadasa noted that it clearly explains the procedures for voting and nominating candidates. Despite this clarity, he claimed that government authorities are interfering with the process and altering the rules midway, which he described as undemocratic.
Premadasa commended the Local Government Commissioners who implemented the original guidelines in good faith. He pointed out that despite 60 members of the Colombo Municipal Council having formally requested an open vote, the authorities have failed to honour this demand, raising serious questions about the integrity of the process.
He further demanded to know which parties had influenced the deviation from the standard procedures and accused certain authorities of implementing the guidelines selectively to suit their political agendas.
Premadasa stated that when questioned a few days ago, officials responded that the guidelines were still under consideration. However, he pointed out that institutions such as the Colombo Municipal Council have blatantly disregarded these rules—actions he described as a severe blow to democratic principles.
He emphasized the need to investigate whether external pressure from higher authorities led to the bypassing of the established framework. Highlighting the inconsistency of conducting open ballots in some areas and secret ballots in others, the Opposition Leader said such discrepancies constitute a violation of fundamental rights.
Premadasa concluded by affirming that all necessary legal and political steps will be taken against what he called an anti-democratic act, warning that continued disregard for these guidelines undermines the rule of law and democratic governance in Sri Lanka.
