Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader lawyer Mr. Udaya Gammanpila says that discussions are going on in the government to hold the presidential election and the parliamentary election on the same day so that the needs of both the president and the pohottuwa can be met. Sri Lanka Latest News
He stated this today (2024.04.03) at a press conference held at the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya party office. The MP stated that if both elections were held on the same day, it would be disadvantageous for the country.
Presidential election and parliamentary election on the same day
The President should not hold the parliamentary election until the presidential election to prevent the power of the presidency from diminishing. Mr Basil Rajapaksa wants to hold the parliamentary election before the people see the results of the presidential election. This is why Mr Basil is urging the President to hold the parliamentary elections early. This is why the President avoids fulfilling this request. We have come to know from reliable sources that the government is discussing holding both the presidential election and the parliamentary election on the same day to fulfil the needs of both sides.
There is no obstacle in the law to hold both elections on the same day. The Election Commission is bound by law to announce the date of acceptance of nominations for the presidential election on any date between July 17 and September 4, 2024. If the President dissolves Parliament on the same day the Election Commission announces the nomination date, both these elections can be held on the same day.
If both elections are held on the same day, both the president and the party will benefit equally. But what is important to us is not the system of advantage for the president or the pot. What is the benefit system for the country? It is a bitter truth that everyone admits that no party can get 50% of the valid votes at this moment. It is not a problem for the presidential election that no one can get the simple majority. As in the first round, after adding the third preference, if no one gets 50%, the candidate with the highest number of votes will be elected as president. But no party in Parliament means that no bill, regulation or resolution can be passed. Not only that, the president cannot dissolve the parliament until two and a half years have passed. Therefore, there is no doubt that in the first two and a half years after the election, there will be an anarchic period in which no one will do anything and no one will be in a power struggle. If there is political instability in the country amid an economic crisis, the country will fall into an abyss from which it cannot recover.
Even if the candidate who wins the presidential election wins with 35%, he can win the number of members required for a stable parliament in the next parliamentary election. It can be seen throughout history that there is a wave in the parliamentary election for the side that wins the presidential election. The best example of this is the 1988 presidential election. The UNP won the presidential election with just 50.4%, but in the parliamentary election held two months later, it won 125 seats and established a stable parliament. Therefore, to get out of this economic crisis, no matter who is the president, it is necessary to establish a stable parliament. It can be done only if the parliamentary election is held after the presidential election.
Why does Pohottuwa want to hold a parliamentary election before the results of the presidential election? Even if the country is at a disadvantage, because of its advantages. As the government suffered an unprecedented defeat in the presidential election, when the party member left Pohottuwa and became depressed after seeing the result, Pohottuwa also suffered the same fate as the UNP in the last parliamentary election. Also, the parliamentary elections have to be faced in a background where the state machinery is under the party that wins the presidential election. Then the power of the state will not be able to be used to their advantage. It is because of these issues that Pohottuwa is asking for early parliamentary elections. But the President should do what is good for the country, not what is good for the pocket.
Questions and answers
Issue
There were heartaches. But we invite those who were with us again. That is what Mr. Namal Rajapaksa, the new national organizer of Pohottuwa, is saying. Did you get invited? Are you ready to join Pohottu?
Answer
Albert Einstein says that you are crazy if you repeat the same experiment under the same conditions and expect a different result.. We are not that crazy. We are not crazy enough to repeatedly test the Rajapaksas.
Issue
Mr. Basil Rajapaksa says that the country will have a tomorrow if all the parties including Podu Jana Peramuna and Samagi Jana Balawega get together. Is that so?
Answer
They are not talking about the future of the country, but about their future.
Issue
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna says that no matter what anyone says, the victory is in their hands.
Answer
I would like to know the basis of JVP saying so. They also filled Galle face field in the last presidential election. Even if it was filled like that, only 3% was received. At least no one has so far revealed such a thing in a scientifically conducted public opinion survey.
Issue
According to a survey conducted in India, because Mr Anura Kumara Dissanayake is ahead, there is a rumour that India has invited him to come to that country, isn’t it?
Answer
Now who said you did the Indian survey? Who saw it? If the JVP saw that, it would be a valuable thing
