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.

 

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

Gadar 2: Sunny Deol's outspoken words on Pakistan-India relationship, told- political game

Gadar 2: Sunny Deol is soon gearing up to create a mutiny on the screen. The actor is reuniting w

Shreyas Iyer: 'He replied to my message...' Suryakumar Yadav shared information about Shreyas's health; revealed his condition.

Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav has provided information on Shreyas Iyer's health. Ahead of t

Budaun Double Murder: How two children were brutalized in Budaun, shocking things revealed in the post-mortem report.

Budaun Murder Case: Post-mortem report tells what kind of brutality Sajid did to Ayush and Ahaan.

Israel-Hamas War: IDF recovered a cache of weapons, grenades-rockets, and many other items from Hamas terrorists.

The war between Israel and Hamas is continuously increasing. Many people have died in this war so

2 Kashmiri students studying in Iran were injured in Israeli attack, India is making a foolproof plan for rescue; evacuation will be done through these routes

The ongoing tension between Iran and Israel (Israel-Iran Tension) has once again made global head

Eye Flu: Why the cases of eye flu have suddenly started increasing in the country, the expert told this big reason

Eye Flu: The continuous rains during the monsoon season have become a cause of trouble for people

PM Modi's Malaysia Visit: 'Strengthening defense cooperation and economic ties is the objective', PM Modi departs for Malaysia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Malaysia on Saturday for a two-day visit. Before leavin

SIR: The SIR (Special Investigation Report) period will be extended once again; nearly 2.75 crore survey forms have not been returned in Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh is almost certain to get another week for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of t

Will 'Daya Ben' make a comeback in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah? She was seen with the show's director after years.

Director Asit Kumar Modi's comedy serial Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is considered everyone's

Udhayanidhi Stalin: 'I am ready to give more money', announces the saint who placed a reward of Rs 10 crore on udhayanidhi's head

Sanatan Dharma Row: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's son and Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's c

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