People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi has urged the government to stop using what he described as “technical excuses” and committee appointments to delay Provincial Council elections.
Speaking to the media, Hettiarachchi pointed out that some provinces in Sri Lanka have gone more than 14 years without elections. He noted that the Eastern Province last held Provincial Council elections in 2012, while the Uva Province last went to the polls in 2014.
He criticised the government for failing to act with urgency despite election-related pledges made in its manifesto, which included commitments to hold both Local Government and Provincial Council elections within one year.
According to Hettiarachchi, although more than a year and a half has passed under the current administration, there is still no clear timetable or visible preparation for Provincial Council polls.
He further alleged that previous governments had similarly used electoral reform committees as a tactic to postpone elections, and warned that the appointment of additional committees risks repeating the same pattern.
Hettiarachchi stated that numerous committee reports on electoral reforms already exist and argued that the government should move forward by presenting the necessary draft legislation to Parliament of Sri Lanka without further delay.
