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Sajith pulls out of race as SLPP rift widens

By Saman Indrajith
Samagi Jana Balavegaya and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday (19) pulled out of the presidential race, following discussions with an SLPP delegation led by Dullas Alahapperuma.
The announcement was made hours before Parliament accepted nominations for today’s (20) vote to elect the new President. Premadasa agreed to receive the appointment as the Premier as originally proposed by the dissident group.
The move caught the SLPP by surprise as its General Secretary, Sagara Kariyawasam, last Friday declared the ruling party’s backing for the Acting President.
Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, SLPP MP Dullas Alahapperuma and JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake are in the fray.
When the House met at 10 am yesterday, Secretary General of Parliament, Dhammika Dasanayake, announced that the process of electing a President, from one of the 225 MPs, would take place as per the provisions of the Presidential Elections (Special Provisions) Act No 2 of 1981, and asked MPs to propose and second suitable candidates.
Opposition Leader Premadasa proposed the name of MP Alahapperuma and the proposal was seconded by MP Prof. GL Peiris, who is also the Chairman of the SLPP.
Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena proposed the name of Acting President Wickremesinghe for the presidency and it was seconded by Galle District MP Manusha Nanayakkara. Wickremesinghe is the only UNP MP in Parliament.
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s name was proposed by MP Vijitha Herath and was seconded by MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Parliament Secretary General Dasanayake announced that he had accepted all three names officially for the election of the new President.
Since there was no other nominations for the contest, sittings lasted only 10 minutes yesterday and the House was adjourned till 10 am today. The election of the President is scheduled to commence at 10 am today as per a motion moved by Leader of the House, Gunawardena.
The Secretary General of Parliament will act as the returning officer.
Before voting begins, the Returning Officer shall show the empty ballot box to the MPs and seal them. The Speaker also has a right to vote in this election. When the voting starts, the name of each MP, including the Speaker, and the Secretary General, who acts as the Returning Officer, will be called. Then the member should go to the returning officer’s desk and get a ballot paper. Then the member in charge of the polling will make a short signature with his initials on the back of the ballot paper. After that, the member who got the ballot paper should go to the booth arranged in the middle of the chamber, mark the ballot paper and place the short signature of the Returning Officer in a visible place in the box on the Returning Officer’s desk.
Each MP is entitled to only one vote and the vote should be marked with the number “1” in the box in front of the candidate’s name. There is also an option to mark preferences when there are multiple candidates. Accordingly, according to the number of candidates who have appeared, in the boxes in front of the names of other election candidates, 2, 3, etc., can be marked according to the order of preferences.
Here, if an error occurs in the marking of a ballot paper due to an oversight on the part of a member (the Act states that if a member has inadvertently spoiled a ballot paper…) it can be returned to the Returning Officer and if the Returning Officer is satisfied with this, another ballot paper will be issued to him. Also, the spoiled ballot paper should be cancelled immediately by the Returning Officer. When the name of a member who has not voted is called a second time before the end of voting, and if that member does not vote, he is considered to have abstained from voting.
After voting, the number of votes recorded for each candidate is counted. If a candidate wishes to come to the place where the counting of votes is conducted, he has the opportunity to do so or he can appoint another MP to represent him. If a candidate receives more than one-third of the valid votes cast, the returning officer, i.e. the Secretary General of the Parliament, immediately announces that the candidate has been elected to the presidency. If no candidate gets more than one-third of the valid votes cast, these proceedings will be extended a bit. Then the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated from the competition. If each MP who voted as first preference for the candidate removed from the competition has their second preference, they will be added to the respective candidate. Even if no candidate has received more than two-thirds of the valid votes, the candidate who received the least number of votes in each calculation is removed from the competition and votes are added to the remaining candidates in the second, third, etc. Even after doing so, if no candidate has obtained one of two of the valid number of votes, the election officer will declare that the candidate who obtained the majority of votes at the end of the counting as above has been elected to the office of President. Ø Also, when the votes are equal between two or more candidates, a draw will be made at the sole discretion of the Returning Officer. Also, the name of the candidate should be published by the Secretary General in the Gazette within three days from the election of the President.
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Sri Lanka Navy joins commencement of AMAN-2025

The multinational naval exercise AMAN-2025, hosted by the Pakistan Navy for the ninth time, commenced at Pakistan Navy Dockyard in Karachi on 07 Feb 25. The event was attended by Commanding Officer and crew of SLNS Vijayabahu, representing the Sri Lanka Navy.
AMAN-2025 will be held from 07 to 11 Feb in Karachi, and the multinational naval exercise will see the attendance of Navy Chiefs, stakeholders and think tank from maritime fraternity, from 60 nations.
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SME representatives accuse presidential aide of instigating protest against Central Bank

A presidential advisor, identified as D. Gamage, had asked a delegation representing the SME sector to “surround the Central Bank” instead of troubling officers at the Presidential Secretariat, Susantha Liyanaarachchi, Chairman of the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL) told the media yesterday near the Presidential Secretariat.
Liyanaarachchi said so following a meeting with Gamage, on Friday, during a protest staged by a group of small- and medium-scale entrepreneurs, affiliated with the MSME Joint Alliance, outside the Presidential Secretariat against parate executions.
Five representatives were permitted to enter the Secretariat, where they also submitted a 17-point proposal aimed at reviving the domestic coconut oil industry.
“Gamage said there was no point in coming to the Presidential Secretariat. He asked us to surround the Central Bank. What an awful officer. We came here to settle our issues amicably, and Gamage told us to surround the Central Bank,” Liyanaarachchi said.
Liyanaarachchi also stated that the Central Bank did not adhere to instructions given by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, exacerbating the concerns voiced by the MSME entrepreneurs.
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Govt. to seek new indictments in Lasantha murder case

By Saman Indrajith
The government would try to initiate fresh indictments in the Lasantha Wickrematunga murder case, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said on Friday, pledging that those responsible for the murder of journalist Wickrematunga would be held accountable. She also stated that she intended to respond personally to a letter from Wickrematunga’s daughter, Ahimsa, who has called on Parliament to impeach Attorney General Parinda Ransinghe (Jr.) over the recent release of three suspects.
Ahimsa Wickrematunga’s request for impeachment followed the release of several individuals—among them a police officer—who had been arrested on accusations of destroying evidence, including a notebook belonging to her father and key police records. Speaking in Parliament, Prime Minister Amarasuriya said, “I plan to respond directly to Ms Wickrematunga, as I fully understand her concerns and the distress she must be experiencing. We are doing our utmost to observe due process and uphold the independence of the Attorney General’s office, but justice must prevail.”
She went on to say, “We intend to seek justice for Lasantha Wickrematunga’s murder. President [Dissanayake] has met with those involved to determine the best course of action. We are examining the possibility of refiling or initiating new inquiries if necessary, as there is plenty of evidence.”
Opposition legislator Rauff Hakeem noted that the suspects were released on a technicality related to an identification parade, and expressed concern that the Attorney General was selectively releasing certain suspects, despite there being many dedicated officers within the Department. He added, “Ultimately, the purpose of all our judicial institutions is to deliver justice. If procedures obstruct that aim, we must re-examine them.”
Prime Minister Amarasuriya reiterated that the Government is open to debating the matter in Parliament, saying, “We will look at refiling charges or bringing new indictments where appropriate. We fully appreciate the gravity of this situation and the need for transparency, and we will do everything in our power to ensure justice is served.”
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