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

Kanguva: After trolling, the makers of Surya's 'Kanguva' will work on sound mixing again! Update on the sequel

The period fantasy film Kanguva starring Surya in the lead hit the theatres on November 14, 2024.

Attack on a police station, why did Punjab police back down: Khalistan supporter Amritpal brought Guru Granth Sahib, swords and guns were also there, so no action was taken

Thousands of supporters of 'Waris Punjab De' Jathedar Amritpal attacked the Ajnala police station

Amaal Malik plays another 'game' with Tanya Mittal, a new twist on the sweater in 'Bigg Boss 19'

Every day, the reality show Bigg Boss 19 sees a new drama unfold. Sometimes it's a fight over hou

Achyut Potdar Death: '3 Idiots' Professor Achyut Potdar passed away, who had worked in 125 films

A very bad news is coming from the entertainment world today, which has shocked everyone. Veteran

Ind vs Pak: Anushka Sharma was elated after Team India's victory, her photo with Dhanashree Verma caught her attention

India won the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan at Nassau County Stadium in New York

Braj's Holi: Long queues of vehicles from Barsana to Nandgaon... roads jammed; broken traffic system

Lakhs of devotees are reaching Mathura due to Rangotsav in Barsana-Nandgaon. Due to this, the tra

NEET-UG Row: Hearing on the petitions related to NEET-UG surrounded by controversies in the Supreme Court, said- its social impact

The Supreme Court began hearing petitions related to the controversial NEET-UG exam. A bench of C

Coldplay concert also attracted PM Modi's attention, he said- there is a lot of scope in this...

British band Coldplay is doing the 'Music of the Spheres' tour in India. Recently they performed

Canada India Row: Canada removed 41 diplomats from India, IRCC said - there will be a slowdown in Indian visa applications

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Thursday said there will be a slowdown in

Bangladeshi protesters do not value independence! Statues related to Pakistan's surrender were vandalized; Tharoor said - they were not worthy of forgiveness

Even after the political upheaval and coup in Bangladesh, violent protests in the country have no

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