Helicopter alliance calls on Speaker to convene Parliament prior to 21 Feb. due to LG postal vote delay

Thursday, 16 February 2023 01:53 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Freedom People’s Alliance (FPA) has written to the Prime Minister and Speaker calling on the duo to summon Parliament prior to 21 February, the date scheduled for postal voting. The letter signed by General Secretary Thilanga Sumathipala noted that in a situation where there is uncertainty if the postal voting will go ahead as expected, the Parliament must be convened so that parliamentarians can do their duty.

Sumathipala said the decision to postpone the issuance of postal ballot papers for the Local Government election, which was a national election, has posed a serious threat to the health of democracy in this country.

The letter further said: “Media reports have confirmed that the Election Commission’s conclusion is that the reason for this indefinite postponement is the failure of the Treasury to provide the money required for the printing of the relevant papers and the refusal of the Government Press to print based on that decision,” while adding that the environment raised by this decision is unfavourable for the democracy of Sri Lanka both domestically and internationally. Sumathipala further noted that resolving and managing this extraordinary and undemocratic situation is an inflexible responsibility assigned to MPs as Government policymakers as well as people’s representatives in the Supreme Legislature. He, therefore, called on the Speaker to convene the Parliament immediately under Standing Orders 16.