Petition filed against failure to release funds to hold LG election
A petition has been filed against the decision taken not to release the funds allocated through the 2023 Budget to the Election Commission for holding the Local Government (LG) election.
The fundamental rights petition has been filed with the Supreme Court requesting a verdict that the basic human rights of the public have been violated through the related decision.
The petition has been submitted by the General Secretary of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara, naming a group of individuals including the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, the Chairman and the members of the Election Commission as the respondents of the petition.
The petition seeks a court order declaring that the respondents have violated the fundamental rights of the public through the relevant decision.
Poll monitors step forward to find necessary funds to hold local government poll
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.
Even if all judges, including the Chief Justice, are involved economic problems cann’t be solved. – Ranil W
The primary issue facing the country is its economic problem, and addressing it should be a top priority. Ignoring this problem will only result in it becoming more visible and challenging to overcome. Therefore, efforts should be made to work towards resolving the economic problem.
The upcoming election is not a means to change the government. The court is expected to make a decision on the date for the Local Government election. However, the country’s economic problem is not something that can be resolved through legal action, even if all judges, including the Chief Justice, are involved. The Parliament is responsible for addressing and improving the state of the economy. Therefore, it is essential for all 225 members of Parliament to come together and work towards a resolution that will help to recover the economy.