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Cabinet to discuss memo to postpone LG polls 

23 Dec 2021

  • Postponement sought by one year
  • Decision due at next cabinet meeting 
  BY Pamodi Waravita The cabinet memorandum submitted to postpone the local government (LG) elections by one year will be discussed at the next Cabinet of Ministers’ meeting, The Morning learnt.  The cabinet paper to postpone the said elections had been submitted at a previous instance and will be discussed and taken up for approval at the next meeting, official sources told The Morning.  According to a report, the Government is not intent on holding the LG elections next year (2022) as the political environment is not “conducive”, especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. LG councillors (municipal councils and urban councils) and members (pradeshiya sabhas) have, the same report claimed, requested for an extension of their terms as the pandemic had caused interruptions to their work.  In a statement issued to the media this week, the polls monitoring body, the People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), claimed: “It is not difficult for any citizen to comprehend that it has been postponed not because of the Covid-19 pandemic.  “In the early stages of the Covid-19 wave, the Election Commission (EC) was able to hold the Parliamentary Election across the country successfully. At the same time, the current ruling party (the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna), which was in the Opposition at that time, pursued a consistent struggle to hold the election. PAFFREL also stood with the group that appeared for holding the election.  “There are several issues that attract public attention in the question of holding an election at the moment: Will the risk of Covid-19 be increased by holding the elections? Could the country, at this moment, afford the cost of the elections (the cost incurred by the EC), which will be around Rs. 6,000 million to Rs. 10,000 million? Will action be taken to reduce the number of councillors and members who have been doubled under the new system, before the next elections? Do the people have faith in the people’s representatives who are being appointed at great cost, and will there be any improvement in the living standards of the people by appointing them?  “Though the above aspects certainly draw the attention of informed citizens, at the moment, it appears that the Elections are being postponed mainly for political reasons.” As such, PAFFREL has urged that the democratic rights of the citizens be protected despite the circumstances.


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