24 August 2024 12:00 am Views - 43
By Kelum Bandara
Close on the heels of the Supreme Court’s direction to conduct elections to the local authorities as early as possible, the Election Commission said it would be possible only after the conclusion of the Presidential Election.
Responding to a question about the next action, Commission’s Chairman R.M.L. A. Rathnayake told Daily Mirror that he, along with other commissioners, would take up the court ruling for consideration at the meeting scheduled for next week. However, he said the Commission is not in a position to conduct the Presidential Election and the local authorities’ election simultaneously due to logistical concerns.
“We will take a decision at the meeting next Wednesday,” he said. The Supreme Court, in its ruling, held that the actions and omissions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Minister of Finance, along with the Election Commission and the Attorney General, violated the fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution due to their arbitrary and unlawful conduct, which led to the non-holding of the 2023 Local Government Elections.
The Supreme Court held that the President who is also the Minister of Finance, the Election Commission and the Attorney General had violated the Fundamental Rights guaranteed under Articles 12(1)- (right of equality) and 14(1)(a)- (freedom of expression) of the Constitution.