POLITICAL PARTIES NOT KEEN ON LG POLLS: OBSERVERS
The main political parties such as the United National Party (UNP), the Maithripala Sirisena faction of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) are seemingly not interested in Local Government (LG) elections, local election observers said yesterday. They said these parties, except for the backbenches of the joint opposition, are only interested in safeguarding the name, fame and reputation of their respective political parties.
“Where the JO is concerned only a majority of former LG members are keen on elections. But the leadership do not seem to be seem to be so.where the LG elections are concerned,these leaders don’t show the same interest they had in filling Colombo with people for the May Day rally. If this was not so Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa could have demanded elections by getting their supporters to surround Parliament,” CAFFE Executive Director Keerthi Tennakoon told a joint news conference in Colombo.
He said, former UNP LG members who had been mistreated by the government, also call for elections but the leaders of the UNP and the SLFP are unconcerned by the delaying.
Meanwhile, PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said it was up to the politicians and their parties to make a decision on holding LG elections. He said there was no big hurdle, except for a few technical difficulties in the new electoral system, in holding these elections and that the Election Commission has assured that it could be done 75 days after the new electoral Bill was signed by the Speaker.
“We hope the Bill which has completed its first reading in Parliament will be passed after its third reading.then,in about four months’ time, we can hold the elections. By now all the requirements have been met and there is no further excuse for any postponement,” he said.