‘Uphold the people’s right to franchise’

 President Ranil Wickremesinghe

• Over 80 civil society leaders place 4 demands before President Wickremesinghe

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by reports on the continuing pressure applied on the Election Commission to postpone the local Government elections, scheduled for 9 March 2023. It has also become clear that this pressure originates from sections of the Government, particularly from its executive branch. 

We vehemently condemn attempts by certain powerful sections of the political and bureaucratic elite to undermine the people’s franchise, sovereignty, and representative democracy in the guise of the economic crisis. While noting the socio-economic challenges posed by the economic upheaval, we must rally together to counter initiatives to undermine democratic processes, people’s franchise, and popular sovereignty. We note that mismanagement of the political front by undermining the democratic process can only deepen political instability. It will in turn impact adversely the recovery from the present economic crisis.

We wish to remind the President, the Government, and public servants of their constitutional obligation to extend the fullest support and cooperation to the Election Commission to fulfil its constitutional duty of conducting free and fair elections and concluding the local Government election as scheduled. We therefore earnestly urge the President and the Government, public service officials and others to refrain from any action or inaction that would subvert the democratic process.

Upholding the people’s right to franchise is particularly crucial against the backdrop of an exceptional citizen mobilisation where Sri Lanka’s citizens demonstrated their awareness of their democratic rights and are robustly engaging in holding the political and bureaucratic elites accountable. In such a context it is crucial to take note of the demand for parliamentary elections and holding the long overdue provincial council elections. 

We also wish to remind the country’s political leadership that playing with the people’s franchise and democratic rights for partisan gains has in the past caused huge political and social costs. The United Front Government in 1975 manipulated the constitution and the judiciary to stay in power for two more years only to suffer an unprecedented electoral disaster in 1977. A few years later, the United National Party Government of 1977 manipulated the constitution in 1982 to extend the life of the parliament for another full term through a referendum, instead of holding the constitutionally due parliamentary election. 

This blatant constitutional and institutional manipulation to legalise an unconstitutional and illegitimate political ambition soon plunged the entire country into a protracted violent conflict, causing unprecedented political instability and suffering to the people. Sri Lankan citizens are still struggling to recover from the social, economic and political aftershocks of that most arbitrary act of political manipulation carried out by a Government leadership for narrow, selfish and partisan gains. 

In fact, holding the local Government elections and allowing the citizens’ protests will even function as a crucial pressure valve, enabling the people of Sri Lanka to peacefully release their anger and outrage caused by the mounting economic hardships.

Thus, considering Sri Lanka’s past experiences and recent developments, we, as citizens of Sri Lanka in whom sovereign powers are reposed, demand the following: 

• We demand that the President and the Government refrain from acting in a manner that subverts the legally mandated and constitutionally valid local Government election scheduled by the Election Commission. 
• We remind all members of the public service to fulfil their constitutional obligation of facilitating the local Government election as scheduled, without allowing themselves to commit illegal acts under undue and unethical pressure. 
•  We urge the international community to encourage the Government to guarantee that the Sri Lankan citizens exercise their right to franchise without any hindrance. Such steps should be sequenced with initiatives at strengthening the rule of law and fundamental freedoms of Sri Lankans. 
• We appeal to the citizens of Sri Lanka to be vigilant of their democratic and sovereign right to franchise. Any efforts to undermine fundamental rights and the rule of law must be robustly and peacefully challenged by the citizens.

Signatories: 

1. A.M. Faaiz

2. Aruna Shantha Nonis

3. Austin Fernando

4. Bernard Edirisinghe

5. Bhavani Fonseka 

6. Brito Fernando

7. C. Ranitha Gnanarajah, Attorney-At-Law

8. Deekshya Illangasinghe

9. Deepanjalie Abeywardana

10. Divya Mascranghe

11. Dr. Maduranga Kalugampitiya

12. Dr. Rajan Rajasingham

13. Dr. Ramesh Ramaswamy

14. Dr. Sudesh Mantilleke

15. Dr. Vasanthi Thevanesam

16. Dr. Devanesan Nesaih 

17. Dr. Farzana Haniffa

18.Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne

19. Dr. Kalana Senaratne 

20. Dr. Mario Gomez

21. Dr. Nimal Chandrasena

22. Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu 

23. Dr. Rajni Gamage

24. Dr. Ram Manikkalingam 

25. Dr. Sonali Deraniyagala

26. Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne 

27. Dr. Visakesa Chandrasekaram

28. Evan Ekanayake

29. Fr. Jeewantha Peiris

30. Gamini Viyangoda

31. Herman Kumara

32. Ivan Dassanayake 

33. Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala

34. Jehan Perera

35. Joe William

36. Jude Fernando

37. Kusum Wijetilleke

38. Lionel Bopoge 

39. M.A. Sumanthiran PC 

40. Manjula Gajanayake 

41. Minoli de Soysa

42. Mirak Raheem

43. Nandasiri Jasenthuliyana

44. Nethmini Medawala

45. Nuwan Bopage 

46. Palitha Pelpola

47. Prabodha Rathnayaka

48. Priyankara Costa

49. Prof Amal Kumarage 

50. Prof Priyan Dias

51. Prof. Arjuna Parakrama, University of Peradeniya

52. Prof. Deepika Udagama 

53. Prof. Gamini Keerawella

54. Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda 

55. Prof. Neil DeVotta

56. Prof. Nirmal Dewasiri

57. Prof. Sasanka Perera 

58. Prof. Tudor Silva

59. Prof. Vasuki Nesaih 

60. Radhika Coomaraswamy

61. Rajan Hoole

62. Ramona Miranda

63. Renuka Senanayake

64. Rohana Hettiarchchi

65. Rosanna Flamer-Caldera

66. Roshan Mendis

67. Ruki Fernando 

68. Ruvini Perera

69. Sarah Arumugam, Attorney-At-Law

70. Sarala Emmanuel

71. Savithri Thevanesam

72. Shanakiyan Rasamanickam

73. Shanthi Dias

74. Shechem Sumanthiran

75. Shreen Saroor 

76. Stanislaus Celestine

77. Thangamuthu Jayasingam

78. Timaandra Wijesuriya

79. V. Thirukumaran 

80. V.S.S. Thananchayan 

81. Vijula Arulananthan