News
Question mark over compatibility of pacts among political parties with constitutions endorsed by EC
by Shamindra Ferdinando
The Election Commission (EC) yesterday said it did not scrutinise the agreements various political parties entered into in the run-up to the presidential election.
A top EC official said so when The Island asked whether such agreements were perused by the EC as the registration of political parties required the acceptance of their constitutions and their compatibility with the country’s Constitution.
Both President and independent candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe and SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa entered into agreements with several recognised political parties, represented in Parliament, in support of their presidential polls campaigns.
Political sources said that against the backdrop of the largest single switching of allegiance in political history – about 100 SLPP MPs pledging their support to President Wickremesinghe – the EC seemed to have lost control of the situation. The ruling SLPP is the worst affected party with almost 130 of its 145 elected and appointed MPs switching allegiance to President Wickremesinghe, SJB leader Premadasa and the Mawbima Janatha Party (MJP).
Sources pointed out that so far only the SJB constituent, the SLMC, had initiated disciplinary action with a view to unseating members, Ali Zahir Moulana and H.M.M. Harees for closing ranks with President Wickremesinghe in definace of the SLMC’s decision to back Sajith Premadasa’s candidature.
Meanwhile, MP Wimal Weerawansa’s National Freedom Front (NFF), which reached an electoral pact with Dilith Jayaweera’s MJP has been reduced to three members after three MPs, namely Mohammed Muzammil (National List), Jagath Priyankara (Puttalam District) and Nimal Piyatissa (Nuwara Eliya District) deserted the party. Nimal Piyatissa has joined President Wickremesinghe’s camp, whereas Jagath Priyankara and Muzammil have pledged their support to the President, through a New Alliance comprising members of the SLFP and SLPP.
Former Minister Weerawansa has been left with only Deputy Leader Jayantha Samaraweera (Kalutara district) and Gamini Waleboda (Ratnapura district).
Early this year, the NFF lost one member when actor-turned-politician Uddhika Premaratne (Anuradhapura district) resigned, paving the way for a SLPPer to fill the vacancy.
Accepting deposits from political parties and independent groups who intend to contest the forthcoming Local Authorities Election ended at 12noon today [19].
Deposits were accepted at respective District Secretariats from 3rd March 2025.
The Elections Commission has announced that the deadline for the accepting of nominations for the LA poll is set to conclude at 12:00 noon tomorrow (20).
It has been reported that the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning (19),
The former IGP had been evading arrest after the Matara Magistrate’s court had ordered his arrest regarding a shooting incident that took place in front of the W15 Hotel Pelena, Weligama, Matara, in 2023.
The government has begun recovering funds obtained by former Lands and Land Development, Environment and Wildlife Resources Minister SM Chandrasena for the Janatha Lanka Chilli Marketing Limited (JLCML), which he headed, Parliament was informed yesterday.
Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation Minister Namal Karunaratne said that as the Chairman of JLCML, Chandrasena had obtained a loan of Rs. 1,275,000 from the Mihintale Govijana Seva Bank in 2001.
The principal of the loan had not been repaid until the end of last year. “After we came to power, we demanded that the loan be settled. Then, we discovered that the interest on the loan had not been paid for the past 24 years, and attempts had been made to have the loan written off. We stopped that and are now in the process of recovering the interest of Rs. 1,975,233 on the loan,” Karunaratne said.
Karunaratne added that JLCML was registered as a company with the Registrar of Companies on March 21, 2001. As Chairman of the company, Chandrasena requested a loan of Rs. 10 million on April 19, 2001, for the purpose of purchasing chillies from farmers in 12 farmer colonies in the Mihintale Agrarian Service area.
The request was approved by the Mihintale Agrarian Service Committee on the same day and referred to the Anuradhapura District Agrarian Operations Committee, which approved it on April 23, 2001. However, the Agriculture Development Commissioner General recommended that a loan of Rs. 1.2 million would suffice for this purpose. JLCML took the loan and failed to repay it until the end of last year. When the matter was raised, the principal was paid, and we are now in the process of recovering the interest that was not paid for the past 24 years,” Karunaratne added.
By Saman Indrajith
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