Samagi Jana Balawegaya Secretary General Ranjith Maddumabandara has indicated in a statement that the President is preparing to postpone the local government election by using subterfuges and the Election Commission should not be caught by these tactics and call the election immediately.
The announcement is as follows.
The press release issued by Mr. Ranjith Maddumbandara, General Secretary of Samagi Jana Balawega.
We consider the idea expressed by President Ranil Wickramasinghe regarding the holding of local government elections as a serious challenge to the sovereignty of the people. It is clear that the underlying purpose of this is to postpone the holding of local government elections with the aim of reducing the number of members of local government bodies. Increasing the number of members in local government bodies is also Mr. Wickramasinghe’s own proposal. He says that the number should be reduced now, it is nothing but a tactic to cover up the obvious defeat of the United National Party or the Podujana Peramuna, which he currently represents, in the local government elections.
The government, which is not taking any steps to hold the provincial council elections, is trying at the moment to usurp the power of the election commission to conduct local government elections by the executive president at a very low level. This should not happen in a democracy.
Having failed to provide proper solutions to the people’s aspirations or the political and economic crisis the country is currently facing, the Podujana Peramuna, led by the President, is trying to maintain its power in the belief that a solution will be found through delay. Let us emphasize that Samagi Jana Balavega is committed to work together with all the forces of the opposition to protect the democratic right of the people at this moment.
We request the Election Commission to take steps to call the local government election immediately by exercising its powers according to the law.
Let us also emphasize that if the President acts to postpone the local government election or any election in order to achieve narrow goals, he will not hesitate to take every action that can be taken democratically within the Parliament as well as outside.
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Ranjith Maddumbandara (P.M.)
Secretary General,
United People’s Force.