Sri Lanka: Crisis on democracy due to lack of funds, issue of postponement of local elections in Sri Lanka heats up


Posted on 1st Mar 2023 03:51 pm by rohit kumar

The issue of postponing the local elections in Sri Lanka continues to be a hot topic. Opposition parties are trying to put the government in the dock regarding this. Voting for the local elections was due on March 9. But the Election Commission postponed the election saying that it did not have the money to print ballot papers and other election works.

 

The general assessment in the Sri Lankan media was that the ruling party would face a humiliating defeat in these elections. There have been allegations from some quarters that the Election Commission made an excuse for the lack of resources to give relief to the ruling party. Now a group of MPs led by Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lankan Parliament Sajith Premadasa has demanded Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena summon the Finance Secretary. These MPs have submitted their letter in this regard to Abeywardhena.

 

Did you know?Explore Trending and Topic pages for more stories like this.

In this letter, an explanation has also been sought regarding the letter written by Election Commission Chairman Nimal Punchihewa to the Speaker. It is said that Punchhieva wrote this letter to the speaker on February 24, asking him to arrange funds for the local elections. The announcement of postponing the election had already been made before sending this letter.

 

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that at present there is no money to hold elections. In a statement given in Parliament, he said that all the parties should discuss this and find a solution. He said- 'The money is not available now. By the way, there is no election ahead. The Election Commission has not announced any new election schedule. What can we do then?

 

In this connection, Premadasa along with a group of opposition MPs met the Speaker on Tuesday. He claimed that if funds were arranged, the Election Commission would be ready to hold the elections immediately. He said that Rs 10 billion was allocated for the election work, which the government is not releasing. Premadasa has warned that if the local elections are not held, the prestige of the Parliament will also suffer.

 

Premadasa was accompanied by leaders of his party Samgai Jana Balawegaya (SJP) as well as dissident leaders of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujuna Peramuna (SLPP) who went to meet the speaker. He demanded Abeywardhena call the Finance Secretary and tell him that the opposition MPs wanted to discuss the problem of paucity of funds with him. Opposition MPs said- 'We want to present our arguments with figures in front of the Finance Secretary. After that, they can also present their stand as to why they are not giving money to the Election Commission.

 

But the speaker said that there is no such legal provision under which he can call the finance secretary using the power given to the parliament. While the opposition MPs argued that the Speaker can use his authority to call the Finance Secretary.

 

Also Read: Pakistan Economic Crisis: 10 lakh workers will get jobs in Pakistan, industries hit by the economic crisis

1 Like 0 Dislike
Previous news Next news
Other news

Lok Sabha Election 2024: 100 more CAPF companies will be deployed on election duty in Bengal, Election Commission's decision after the attack on NIA

Just before the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission is taking necessary action to conduc

Suspense on the name of CM in Karnataka! DK Shivakumar left for Delhi from Bangalore, said - I will not blackmail

The suspense remains on who will be the next CM of Karnataka. Karnataka Congress President DK Shi

Nothing Phone 2: Nothing's flagship phone launched with an OLED display, will get up to 512GB of storage

After all the leaks, Nothing has finally launched its new phone Nothing Phone 2. This phone is an

Delhi Election 2025 Date: Delhi election dates are to be announced today, The Election Commission will hold a press conference at 2 pm

The Election Commission will announce the dates of the assembly elections in the capital, Delhi,

Monsoon: The Ministry of Earth Sciences rejected the claim of Skymet, saying- this year there will be normal rains

The Government of India has rejected the claim of private weather agency Skymet Weather. On Monda

CWG 2026: Why were Commonwealth medalists left out of the Asiad squad? Harsh Singh and Unnati Sharma raise their voices.

India's Asian Games judo squad selection has triggered questions after Commonwealth Games gold me

After the oil and tariff dispute, there will now be reconciliation, a deal finalised between India and America.

The friendship between India and America will soon be back on track. There are indications that t

Kolkata Case: The next 24 hours are crucial for patients, OPD services stopped; IMA placed five major demands before the government

There is a lot of anger in the whole country regarding the rape and murder of a trainee doctor of

Sarfaraz Khan: Sarfaraz Khan became clean and bold in love with a Kashmiri girl, read Nikah secretly

Star batsman Sarfaraz Khan, who plays for Delhi Capitals in IPL, has married a girl from Kashmir.

North Korea: 'If North Korea conducts a new nuclear test....' White House increased concern, released statement

North Korea Nuclear Test: After the continuous launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea, the U

Sign up to write
Sign up now if you have flare of writing..
Login   |   Register
Follow Us
Indyaspeak @ Facebook Indyaspeak @ Twitter Indyaspeak @ Pinterest RSS



Play Free Quiz and Win Cash