• Factions should resolve issues via Court or discussions: Comm. Rathnayake
• Says there is no clarity on fractions and party positions

The Elections Commission (EC) stated that given the current turmoil with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), they have no room to intervene in or resolve the crisis situation.

With an interim injunction being issued by the Colombo District Court preventing former President and incumbent Opposition Parliamentarian Maithripala Sirisena from functioning as the Party Chairperson, a problematic situation arose within the SLFP.

The Party has now split into two factions led by Sirisena and former President and incumbent SLFP Patron Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. The two factions have made separate appointments to the Party's key positions such as Acting Chairperson and Secretary, some of which have already been challenged before the court.

Since both factions had approached EC, The Daily Morning asked EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Ratnayake as to whether they would make any intervention to bring the problematic situation towards an end. In reply, he said: "We have now stopped engaging in this issue. They (the two factions) should resolve this crisis through judicial proceedings or internal discussions."

Noting that injunctions have been issued against its Chairperson, Secretary and Acting Chairperson (who was appointed by the Sirisena-led faction), Ratnayake said that there is no clarity on which faction's decisions should be accepted as Party decisions. "There was no issue with the Party's Secretary post as of last week. It has also changed by now, and an injunction has been issued against the Secretary too."

Although there are certain issues within political parties regarding which EC summons the relevant parties and have discussions, he said that the problematic situation within the SLFP is not of such a nature.

Considering a complaint lodged by Kumaratunga, the Colombo District Court recently issued an interim injunction, temporarily restraining Sirisena from acting as the SLFP Chairperson. This development resulted in the division of the SLFP into two groups, one led by Kumaratunga and the other by Sirisena.

Subsequently, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, in his capacity as the Party's Senior Vice President, convened the SLFP's politburo meeting, during which he was appointed as the Party's Acting Chairperson. Taking a fresh twist, the faction led by Sirisena on 21 April elected Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe as the Party's Acting Chairperson. The Kumaratunga-led faction challenged his (Dr. Rajapakshe) appointment before the court, and an interim injunction was issued by the court preventing Dr. Rajapakshe from functioning in the said position. The court also issued another interim injunction preventing MP Sarathi Dushmantha Mithrapala from holding the post of SLFP Acting General Secretary.