Image: Secretary to the President. Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake is one of the most inefficient bureaucrats in AKD government.
According to reporting by The Morning, the Election Commission (EC) has repeatedly written to the Presidential Secretariat seeking direction on the long‑pending Provincial Council (PC) Elections, but has yet to receive any response, EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said.
Speaking to The Morning, Rathnayake noted that the Commission had issued roughly four letters requesting clarification on the legal deadlock surrounding the PC polls. Despite these efforts, he said the EC remains unable to proceed because the issue now hinges entirely on legal amendments.
“We are completely blocked. There is nothing more we can do on our own. It’s entirely outside our control,” Rathnayake said, emphasising that the EC cannot take further action until the required legislative changes are made. “We have requested the necessary steps, but there has been no reply so far.”
Rathnayake previously outlined two possible options for moving forward: conducting the election under the old proportional representation (PR) system or waiting for a new delimitation process. He pointed out that reverting to the earlier system would allow elections to be held sooner, while a fresh delimitation exercise would take nearly a year—and would need to begin immediately if that path is chosen.
The PC Elections have been in limbo for years due to a legal complication arising from an amendment introduced under the United National Front Government between 2015 and 2020. Although a delimitation report was once completed and handed to Parliament, MPs rejected it, leaving the matter unresolved.
In May 2025, Deputy Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government P. Ruwan Senarath said the Government intended to initiate the needed legal reforms once Local Government (LG) Elections were over. Despite the LG polls being held on 6 May 2025, no visible progress has been made on legal amendments or preparations for PC Elections.
Meanwhile, the Government has announced its intention to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to examine the path forward for the PC polls.
Attempts by The Morning to contact the Minister of Provincial Councils, Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna, and Deputy Minister Senarath were unsuccessful. The President’s Media Division, when reached, said it was unaware of the matter.