News
Constitutionality of bid to remove MP monk can be challenged – EC Chairman
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Election Commission Chief Nimal Punchihewa says that National List MP Ven. Atureliye Rathana thera can move the Supreme Court against ‘Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya’ decision to remove him from Parliament.
Attorney-at-law Punchihewa said that Ven. Rathana could seek Supreme Court intervention within a month after Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake received a letter from the relevant political party informing him of their decision to remove a National List MP.
Responding to The Island queries, Punchihewa explained the Constitution barred the Secretary General from taking action for a period of one month. In case, the MP monk refrained from moving the court, the Secretary General could act according to the request made by the party, he said.
According to Punchihewa, ‘Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya’ has written to the Secretary General on 16 Oct with a copy to him. He said that he received a letter dated 15 Oct from that political party informing him of the decision to remove Ven. Rathana. “That letter has been copied to the Secretary General. I immediately advised the Secretary, Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya that the letter should be addressed to the Secretary General as he/she exercised the privilege to declare a vacant seat in Parliament,” lawyer Punchihewa said. “If a vacancy is created due to the resignation or removal of an MP, the Secretary General will have to bring it to our notice.”
Punchihewa served as the Director (Legal) of the EC prior to being appointed as its Chief. Punchihewa succeeded Mahinda Deshapriya. The Elections Chief explained that in case Ven Rathana thera challenged the party in court, the action sought by them would be stayed until the judiciary decided on the matter.
The new EC named on Dec 3, 2020 comprises S.B. Divaratne, M.M. Mohamad, K.P.P. Pathirana and J. Thyagarajah. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed them for a five year term in terms of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. However, Thyagarajah recently quit the EC to receive the appointment as Governor of the Northern Province.
Asked to explain the continuing crisis over the National List of ‘Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya,’ lawyer Punchihewa said that soon after the last parliamentary polls the then Secretary of that party, Wedinigama Wimalatissa thera wanted himself to be appointed the solitary National List member of the party.
Punchihewa said both Ven. Wimalatissa thera and Ven. Rathana thera battled for the seat. Some wanted Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara thera appointed as the National List MP of ‘Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya.’ However, Ven. Gnanasara couldn’t have been appointed as a person not in either a district list or a National List was automatically disqualified from receiving NL slot when original appointments were made, Punchihewa said.
Recalling Ven, Gnanasara thera had been on the rejected ‘Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya’ Kurunegala District list for the August 2020 general election, Punchihewa said that the EC was not aware of whatever the internal discussions regarding the appointment of Ven. Rathana, who contested the Gampaha district on ‘Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya’ ticket. The party failed to win a single seat though it repeatedly vowed to obtain over a dozen seats.
Ven. Rathana thera took oaths as an MP before Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on January 05, 2021 after ‘Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya’ announced his appointment on Dec 18, 2020.
The Secretary General of Parliament didn’t answer his mobile phone.
Punchihewa acknowledged that two other National List appointments had been challenged in the Supreme Court. The EC Chairman was referring to public litigation activist Nagananda Kodituwakku complaining to the Supreme Court in respect of the appointment of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Basil Rajapaksa on the respective National Lists of the UNP and the SLPP.
Of the 29 National List slots, the SLPP secured 17 seats whereas the UNP managed just one.
Ven. Rathana thera couldn’t be contacted yesterday afternoon.
Having first entered Parliament from the Kalutara district on the JHU ticket at the 2004 general election Ven. Rathana thera switched allegiance to the UPFA subsequently and entered parliament from the Gampaha district on the UPFA ticket at the 2010 general election. Ven. Thera aligned himself with the UNP ahead of the 2015 presidential election and secured a UNP National List slot at the August 2015 general election. Soon thereafter, the Ven thera switched his allegiance to the then President Maithripala Sirisena but ended up with ‘Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya’ at the August 2020 general election. That party hadn’t represented parliament, provincial councils or Local Government authorities at least on one occasion prior to 2020 general election.
Punchihewa said that he sincerely wished the New Constitution would ensure clear guidelines in respect of the appointment of National List members. There couldn’t be ambiguity in this regard, Punchihewa said, adding that the country couldn’t afford to allow controversies to undermine the public faith in the Constitution and the electoral system.
Thirty-six (36) naval personnel completed an eight-month Basic Marine Qualification Course and received their Marine insignia at the main parade ground of SLNS Vidura in Sampur, Trincomalee today, (29 August 2026).
At the invitation of Commandant SLNS Vidura, Captain Ravindu Harischandra, the ceremony was graced by Rear Admiral Buddhika Liyanagamage, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy and Commander Eastern Naval Area.
The group, comprising 3 officers and 33 sailors, completed the 10th intake of the Basic Marine Qualification Course, after volunteering for the demanding training programme.
In recognition of exceptional performance during the training, trophies were presented to outstanding personnel. Lieutenant (S) VPA Sasanka was awarded trophies for Best Marine of the Course, Highest Aggregate in Overall Subjects, and Best Marksman.
Physical Training Instructor WMGDP Bandara received the trophy for Best Physical Fitness. Addressing the newly qualified personnel,
Rear Admiral Liyanagamage congratulated them on successfully completing the course. He urged them to use the skills and experience gained through their training to contribute to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also called on them to apply the courage and determination developed during the course both in their professional and personal lives, and to remain prepared to meet any challenge faced by the country.
He stressed the importance of keeping their knowledge and training up to date and maintaining constant vigilance while carrying out their duties.
Rear Admiral Liyanagamage also expressed his appreciation to
the Commanding Officer of SLNS Vidura and the directing staff for their contribution to the successful completion of the course.
The insignia ceremony also included a demonstration showcasing the capabilities and skills of the Sri Lanka Navy Marine.
Rear Admiral Achala Silva, Director General Logistics; Rear Admiral Kusal Dissanayake, Commandant Naval Infantry; Commodore Sanjeewa Kodikara, Director Marine; officers
from Navy Headquarters and the Eastern Naval Area; senior officers from the Army, Air Force and Police; and parents of the newly passed out marine personnel attended the ceremony.
Norwegians are grieving the death of the beloved King Harald V, as a period of national mourning begins and his son Haakon VIII assumes the throne.
After Harald’s death was announced early on Friday, crowds amassed at the royal palace in Oslo, laying flowers and flags, some mourners visibly in tears.
The 53-year-old new king held an extraordinary council of state meeting with government ministers, saying he was taking on the royal family’s motto “All for Norway”.
Harald – who was on the throne for 35 years – died in hospital at 06:35 local time (04:35 GMT) aged 89, after being treated there for a rare blood condition. His coffin was later taken to the palace in a public procession.
Memorials outside the palace included a candle with the word “thanks” written on it (BBC)
An estimated 10,000 people lined the streets in the capital to see the late king go past, Norway’s public broadcaster reported.
The late monarch has been described as an inclusive, transparent and empathetic “people’s king” who modernised the Norwegian monarchy.
European royals, including King Charles III – whose mother Queen Elizabeth II was Harald’s second cousin – as well as political leaders and ordinary citizens, paid tribute to his service and the stability he brought to the country.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who laid flowers outside the palace and signed a book of condolences after greeting the new king, said the country was “united in grief and gratitude”.
In a televised memorial address – one of multiple eulogies by ministers – he said the late king’s “legacy lives on” and offered condolences to the royal family and Queen Sonja, who would have celebrated her 58th wedding anniversary with Harald on Saturday.
Støre was joined by ministers and a crowd of citizens grieving outside the palace (BBC)
Norway’s superstar footballer Erling Haaland thanked Harald for “everything you meant to Norway” in a post on Instagram, adding that it had been an honour to meet him earlier in the summer at the palace following the Fifa World Cup.
In the country’s capital, Norwegians shared their grief and affection for the late king.
“I personally will say he was everything for us, especially being an immigrant,” Biteya Terfassa, an Oslo resident who was born in Ethiopia, told news agency Reuters outside the palace.
“He made us feel at home and he made us feel loved. So he was like a grandfather that I never had.”
At noon, the Norwegian Armed Forces honoured Harald with a funeral salute of 21 shots from Akershus Fortress in central Oslo.
Later on Friday, a procession left the chapel at Rikshospitalet, where Harald died, taking his coffin in a hearse to the royal palace.
The date of Harald’s funeral is yet to be officially announced. Until then, he will be lying in state in the palace chapel so the public can pay their last respects.
During the national mourning period, flags will be flown at half-mast across the Nordic country, while Harald’s portrait will be displayed, candles lit and moments of silence held at professional events.
All non work-related social events will be cancelled or postponed. Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe, who was due to get married on Friday, even postponed her wedding,
King Haakon, who is Harald’s younger child, is now the monarch and his wife Mette-Marit queen.
He is due to take an oath before the Norwegian parliament on Tuesday and will later participate in a consecration service – a stripped-down version of a coronation, which Norway no longer has.
His daughter, the 22-year-old Ingrid Alexandra, who joined her father to meet ministers at the palace on Friday, is next in line to the throne as crown princess after the rules of succession changed in 1990 to allow firstborn women to inherit the crown.
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, second from right, stood by her father’s side (BBC)
Haakon assumes his new role at a difficult time, as the royal family has faced health challenges and scandals this year.
Now-Queen Mette-Marit came under scrutiny earlier this year when it was revealed that she had a three-year friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, for which she has publicly apologised.
Later in the year, she received a lung transplant, after suffering from pulmonary fibrosis since 2018. Doctors will not declare her stable until next year, meaning her husband must balance his new official duties with her care.
Meanwhile, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted in June of rape and other offences and sentenced to four years in prison. He is appealing.
Høiby is not a member of the royal family, but was raised with them since he was four years old, when now-King Haakon married his mother.
Although Harald remained popular until his death, a poll for newspaper Aftenposten earlier this year found that support for the monarchy had dropped from 72% in 2024 to 54%.
However, Norwegian royal experts told the BBC that the new king, while facing questions about the turbulence surrounding his family, was respected, hard-working and, they believed, able to move forward despite the challenges.
(BBC)
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