President asserts no polls postponement

Range Bandara says UNP wants referendum to extend terms of President, Parliament

• Parliamentarians from all parties desperately attempted to reach the President to seek more clarity on this statement 
• It was nothing but a personal statement by  Range Bandara-Ravi  

By JAMILA HUSAIN   

Chaos erupted among the political circles last evening after a statement was made by UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara, stating that a proposal would be brought to Parliament to postpone the presidential and parliamentary elections, with parliamentarians from all parties rejecting the move and calling for an immediate response from the President. 

In fact, by last evening, President Wickremesinghe began receiving calls from several Parliamentarians, including the opposition, to seek more clarity on the statement, with the President finally having to distance himself from it stating that there was no such move to delay the polls.   

Senior UNP members close to Wickremesinghe were called in to reject the statement on behalf of the President to the worked up parliamentarians, stating that the UNP had no clue as to why Range Bandara had made such a statement and dismissed it, saying there was no such move by Wickremesinghe to call for a public referendum as he would stand by democratic values.  

“It was nothing but a personal statement by Range Bandara. This is not the decision of the President,” senior UNP member Ravi Karunanayake told the Daily Mirror.   

Karunanayake asserted that the presidential election would be held as scheduled in October, followed by the general election.   

Range Bandara at a media briefing held last morning said that the UNP suggested holding a public referendum to extend the term of the President and Parliament for two more years in order to “save the nation.”.  

Range Bandara said the government had reached agreements with the IMF, World Bank, and other donors on economic reforms, and it was essential to extend the terms of the President and Parliament to make this exercise a success. Stabilizing the economy is more important than anything,” Range Bandara told the media.   

“We propose a referendum to extend the terms of the President and Parliament, as it is the most democratic way to do it,” he added. 

As soon as this statement came out, chaos erupted within all political parties, with leaders questioning if President Wickremesinghe had put out this statement through his General Secretary to test the public’s reaction.   

Parliamentarians from all parties desperately attempted to reach the President to seek more clarity on this statement, with almost all political parties telling the Daily Mirror that they would oppose such a move if it is implemented.   

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organizer, Namal Rajapaksa, said they would not agree to such a move and believed the President would not resort to such a decision.   

“President Wickremesinghe did not discuss such a move with the SLPP and he, being a person who believes in democracy, would not make such a decision,” Namal told the Daily Mirror.   
He said it was not healthy to postpone elections, as no victory could be gained by stifling the voice of the public.  

SJB ally and Leader of the Democratic People’s Front, Mano Ganesan, said that the SJB would also not agree with it.  “The SJB will never support it. The elections must be held as scheduled. If this is brought to Parliament, none of the parties will vote for it,” Ganesan said.   

The Daily Mirror exclusively reported last month that the presidential election would be held in the second week of October, followed by the parliamentary polls. The Elections Commission has begun preparations for the presidential election, and a formal announcement is likely to be made in July.