Presidential election scheduled for next year - President

In accordance with the Constitution, the Presidential election is scheduled for next year, followed by the parliamentary election, President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured today despite reports that there will be Constitutional reforms instead.

"Both the Presidential election and the general elections will be held next year while the Provincial Council election will be held in early 2025," the President said while addressing the UNP Convention in Colombo.

"Around 50 percent of the voting population in the country reject all political parties. They want a new political culture. I will be appointing a commission headed by retired chief justice Priyasad Dep to look into political parties. There are a large number of political parties in the country. No one knows who leads them. The new commission will look into details on the parties. Some parties are influenced by persons who offer them large sums of money. The commission will probe into all these and make recommendations regarding parties in six werks time. I would like to know the stand of political parties on this move," he said.

"We will also work towards building a smart country. I will announce plans on building a smart nation in the budget speech next month. I accepted the Presidency to revive the economy. We have taken measures in this regard. The county has become stable once again. The Cabinet which comprises SLPP members have supported me in this endeavour. Also, Opposition MPs like Harsha De Silva and Patali Champika Ranawaka have also support me through their acts as chairpersons of two parliamentary committees," he added. (Yohan Perera)