Sri Lanka is probably the only democratic country where people wonder if elections would be held in an election year, Nidahasa Janatha Sabawa (NJS), leader MP Dullas Alahapperuma said.

Sri Lanka is also the only country that postponed an election under the pretext of bankruptcy, he added.

“From my experience, an election boosts an economy.”

Alahapperuma said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe was a minister in a government that postponed a general election through a referendum. This was the worst episode in Sri Lanka’s electoral history.

“If he thinks he can pull off this trick this time, it’s a grave mistake. The 1982 referendum was held at a time when the people and the media were weak. ITN and Rupavahini were the only TV stations. There was SLBC and four papers. The entire country depended on those sources for information. This is completely different with social media.”

Alahapperuma said the Constitution says that the tenure of the President is five years and article 31 (3) states that “the poll for the election of the President shall be taken not less than one month and not more than two months before the expiration of the term of office of the President in office.”

“This is clear. This is not the same with Provincial Council elections. There is a timeline here. Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sworn in as President on 19 November 2019. Therefore, the election must be held between 18 October and 18 September 2024. The President has no right to make statements about when to hold elections. He just must hold them in a period stipulated by the Constitution.”

The NJS MP said that the Elections Commission must not remain silent when politicians make statements about when the presidential election will be held. The silence of the Commission encourages speculation and feeds into the uncertainty in the society.

“The President’s Media Division (PMD) is issuing a statement on the expenses for the election. The Parliament has the authority on public finance. How can the PMD, or the Cabinet spokesman, determine the amount of money earmarked for elections.”

President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government has taken a number of initiatives that they thought would weaken the general public and instil fear among its critics, he said.

“Ranil Wickremesinghe presented a proposal called ‘Regaining Sri Lanka’ in the early 2000s. This proposal was rejected by the people, as evidenced by the election results. He was then rejected by the people at the 2020 general election. Now he is President and is implementing the ‘Regaining Sri Lanka’ programme. Ironically he is supported by MPs that belong to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s party, a man who played a major role in undermining Wickremesinghe’s agenda,” he said. (SI)