• Warns of speech that could hinder free and fair elections

The Elections Commission (EC) has sent a letter to the President’s Secretary, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, requesting him to inform President Anura Kumara Dissanayake not to make statements that could hinder a free and fair election process during the campaign for the Local Government (LG) Elections.

Opposition MPs had alleged that during several campaign rallies for the LG Elections, the President indicated that if National People’s Power (NPP) representatives were not in control of LG bodies, their financial requirements could be hampered. Following this, several parties, including the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), urged the EC to look into the matter and take appropriate action.

When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (20), EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that the Commission had written to the President’s Secretary regarding the matter, following several complaints. “We received many complaints about the President’s statement. Through such remarks, one group of candidates is subjected to prejudice while another gains an unfair advantage. We wrote to the President’s Secretary and asked him to inform the President not to make such statements again.”

Speaking at political rallies organised by the NPP, President Dissanayake had claimed that the Government could not ensure funding for LG bodies controlled by other parties, as it did not trust their representatives. He had said the Central Government would have to scrutinise non-NPP proposals up to ten times, whereas proposals from NPP-led bodies would be approved and funded “even with their eyes closed”. The statements in question were reportedly made by the President during rallies held in Tissamaharama, Buttala, Kandy, Akkaraipattu, and Sammanthurai.

The LG Elections are to be held on 6 May. The LG institutions for which representatives are to be elected on that day include 28 municipal councils, 36 urban councils and 272 pradeshiya sabhas.