• Says dissolving P’ment will be inevitable after LG Polls result

Opposition Member of Parliament Prof. G.L. Peiris has claimed that the Government’s approval rating is as low as 15% and that it would be compelled to dissolve Parliament and hold a general election by the middle of this year following the result of the Local Government (LG) election scheduled for 9 March.

Speaking to the media last Saturday (11), he said: “This is not just a Local Government (LG) election. This election, which is of national importance, goes far beyond. This is a unique opportunity for the people of our country to express their verdict over what the Government led by SLPP and the United National Party (UNP) has done so far. Currently, the people’s support of this Government does not exceed 15%; that is the truth. There are debates about it now, but there will not be any such debate after 9 March. The country and the international community will be able to determine what the reality is.”

In this light, he claimed the Government attempted to postpone the LG election by using all possible tactics, and added that the SLPP and UNP have no moral right to rule the country.

“After the conclusion of the LG election on 9 March, there will definitely be a huge wave of people asking for the opportunity to elect a new Parliament which will properly represent public opinion. The Government will not be able to suppress it at all. By the middle of this year, the Government will have to dissolve Parliament and hold a general election, either willingly or unwillingly. When the great public opposition to this Government becomes evident in the LG election, it will not be able to hold on to power any longer,” added Prof. Peiris.

The Election Commission is currently making the necessary arrangements to hold the LG election on 9 March. All Opposition political parties and groups, including the main Parliamentary Opposition, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) and “independent” groups of MPs, such as those led by MPs Dullas Alahapperuma and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, have been saying that the LG election should be held on time while SLPP and UNP representatives have been saying the same should not be held at this point owing to the economic difficulties faced by the country at present.