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Parliament security tightened for nomination day 

19 Jul 2022

  • Acceptance of nominations for Prez today, vote tomorrow
BY Buddhika Samaraweera As nominations are to be accepted today (19) for the Parliamentary vote to elect the next President, security has been tightened in and around the Parliamentary complex, according to the Police. When contacted by The Morning, Police Media Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police and Attorney-at-Law Nihal Thalduwa stated that the road leading from the Polduwa Junction towards Parliament has been closed with Police roadblocks since yesterday (18). He also said that the necessary steps have been taken to ensure the safety of the Parliamentary complex and the surrounding areas. When Parliament met on 16 July, following the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 14 July, Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake announced that the next President would be elected as per the Presidential Elections (Special Provisions) Act, No. 2 of 1981. Accordingly, he said that nominations for a Parliamentary vote to elect the President, which is to be held tomorrow, would be called from among the MPs today at the Parliamentary complex. He also said that the MPs whose names would be nominated for the vote must be present in Parliament when the nominations are being handed over. Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Samagi Jana Balawegaya and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-led National People’s Power Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MP Dullas Alahapperuma had announced their candidacy for the said vote as of yesterday. Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had received the resignation letter from Rajapaksa through the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore on 14 July. After the verification process and legal formalities, the Speaker officially announced to the media the resignation of President Rajapaksa on 15 July. He also urged the public to allow a peaceful environment for all MPs to take part in the process of electing the next President.


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