Poll monitors step forward to find necessary funds to hold local government poll

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Election monitors are ready to raise funds for conducting the local council elections, Executive Director of People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Rohana Hettiarachchi says.

“If the real problem is a lack of funding, we are ready to start work this week to secure funding for the election,” he said yesterday.

The government should be allowed to the pretext of financial issues to undermine the rights of the people, he said.

“We will file several court cases in the coming days,” he said.

The government was trying to postpone all elections until the next presidential polls, he said.

“President Ranil Wickremesinghe often talks about the devolution of power, but he has taken steps to ensure that both local and provincial council elections are not held.

“He has ensured that both the Provincial Councils and the local councils will be without elected representatives. No previous government has said we can’t hold elections for want of funds. What is the precedence we are setting here? If the government manges to postpone the LG polls, the same method will be used over and over again in the future. This must give everyone a pause,” he said.