Attempts to prevent polls is an unprecedented attack on democracy and the rule of law: BASL
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has expressed deep concern over what it says are recent attempts by State authorities to disrupt the local council elections, which are mandated by law to be held prior to March 19 this year.
A statement issued by the BASL emphasised that “elections are a vital part of Sri Lanka's democratic process and must not be hindered.”
The BASL notes several decisions taken by the Government in recent weeks, purportedly aimed at managing public funds, have had the effect of preventing the Elections Commission from conducting the elections.
These include a demand by the government printer for the release of funds prior to the printing of ballot papers and the Treasury secretary claiming there were no funds available for the elections. This was despite a Budget allocation of Rs. 10 Billion for elections, the statement pointed out.
The BASL said the conduct of the Treasury secretary, the government printer, and other government officials and institutions over the last few weeks clearly demonstrated a concerted effort to bring the elections to a halt, thus undermining the peoples' franchise and endangering their sovereignty.
“Such attempts to prevent elections mandated by law represent an unprecedented attack on democracy and the rule of law and pose a grave threat to the electoral process in the future,” the BASL statement said.
Such actions could set a dangerous precedent for an unpopular executive or legislature to obstruct the allocation of resources for an election and prevent the Sri Lankan people from choosing their representatives and leaders, the BASL warned.
“It is the Government's sacred duty to ensure funds are provided for the conduct of elections which are an essential function in the country,” the BASL said.
It called on the Government and all State officials to respect the Constitution and the law and ensure that the local council elections were held as scheduled, without any further attempts to disrupt or interfere with the process.