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Tuesday, 3 January 2023 03:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Maneshka Borham
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SLFP General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara
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General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MP Dayasiri Jayasekara says the current Government will lose its legitimacy following the upcoming Local Government elections.
Attending a press conference at the party headquarters to mark the new year, Jayasekara said the Government’s public support is dwindling and it will not be able to hold on to power after the polls. “The Government has no mandate and is not prepared to face elections,” the MP said, claiming the Government is attempting to delay polls through various means.
“We are hearing of an attempt to postpone the election by presenting a proposal to that effect in parliament on 5 January,” he revealed while accusing the Government of attempting to suppress the holding of an election.
“Therefore we are now calling for a new Government that represents the mandate of the people. We called for an all-party Government without the Rajapaksas. But this proposal was ignored. If this suggestion had been accepted the country would have been on a much stronger footing now. The Government knows the Local Government polls will reflect the true mandate of the people and they are taking necessary steps to prevent it,” he said.
Jayasekara said the SLFP together with any willing political party or group will do whatever is necessary to force the authorities to hold elections as scheduled.
“We will work towards any attempt to postpone it,” he added.
The MP also told the media that the SLFP central committee has decided to commence the process of choosing candidates from all electorates.
“The party has appointed electoral committees for every district. We have also discussed and plan to set up a method to accept applications for nominations. The application form has been put up on the party website.
“We hope to choose candidates through district-wise nomination committees. Anyone with necessary qualifications can apply and will be given the opportunity,” he said.
Jayasekara said the group will contest under the hand symbol under the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) banner in the North and East while it will contest under the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) banner in all other areas across the island.
The SLFP General Secretary said the party intends to gather all leftist progressive forces in the country together before the upcoming polls.
“We are holding discussions with various parties and will hold final discussions this week. We hope to bring all the powerful political forces together,” he said.
