Local Govt. election: No decision on holding in April: EC
Posted on February 2nd, 2025
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Courtesy The Morning
- Says timing for Polls will be determined after resolving legal issues
- Awaits P’ment and Speaker’s endorsement on LAE (Special Provisions) Bill
The Election Commission (EC) stated that no specific decision has been made on holding Local Government (LG) Elections in April of this year, and the timing will be determined after resolving the relevant legal issues.
It was recently reported that the LG Elections, which were postponed during the former Government, would be held in April, 2025.
When inquired by The Daily Morning regarding such reports, EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that they have not yet made a decision to hold the LG Elections in April. They are mere rumors. We cannot do anything until the Speaker of Parliament endorses the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill and the legal situation is cleared.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court (SC) last week concluded the hearing of the petitions filed challenging the constitutionality of certain clauses of the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill tabled in the Parliament by the Government. Accordingly, the court had declared that the confidential verdict, which had not been publicly revealed yet, would be sent directly to the Speaker of the Parliament. This order was issued after a two-day hearing of the petitions filed by four parties which argued that some provisions of the proposed Bill infringe on citizens’ voting rights, thereby violating fundamental human rights. Thus, the petitioner had requested a ruling declaring that the provisions in question of the Bill could only be passed with a two-thirds majority in the Parliament and approved by a referendum.
The LG Elections were initially scheduled to be held on 9 March 2023, but the Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Ministry and General Treasury had not released the required funds to the EC, which then rescheduled the elections to 25 April 2023. Since the funds were not released by that time too, the EC once again postponed the elections, indefinitely. There is another ruling issued by the SC recently, directing the EC to schedule the LG Elections at the earliest possible.