The UNP Working Committee that convened this evening has unanimously agreed to go for a General election after April 23.
Despite the authority to dissolve the parliament and announce an election being entitled to the President, the UNP has however decided to go for parliamentary elections after April 23.
The SLFP however has been opposing to holding an early election and have been stating that what should be held in priority is implement the promises made in the 100-day program. However, the UNP and the JVP have remained in favour of an election, pointing out the people who voted for President Sirisena mandated for the interim government to remain in power only until April 23.
patriot / March 12, 2015
UNP Working Committee has no power at all to decide to go for a General election after April 23. It is the president who can take that decision. What Ranil Wickramasinghe and his UNP ministers can do is to tell the President that they can not continue to function as PM and ministers after the 23th of April. In that scenario the president can appoint a new prime minister and ministers in place of the UNPers and continue governing the country to fulfil the promises made during the last election if the UNPers are not bothered about promises made. This would take another 100 days. People have the patience. They want the president to implement what he promised not an election.
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gamini / March 12, 2015
Patriot,
Why? Are you scared of a General Election?
Was it not your Boss MR who harped on holding Elections, one after another to show how Democratic he was, while staging every Election misusing State machinery and funds to hoist himself and in the end paid dearly miscalculating on the advice of his Astrologers?
I believe now that the EC Dept being more Independent, why be afraid of facing an Election? You can be darn side sure that it will be the end of the road for many rogues in Parliament, be it the SLFP or the UNP.
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Patriot / March 12, 2015
Had a high regard for Gamini for his sensible comments until I read this one.
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Dom / March 12, 2015
The President was elected by UNP voters which majority voted for him to become the President that benefiting the UNP voters. As reason, the President will need to listen to the UNP as he knows if he lost the election he will be thrown into jail in an event if Mahinda wins.
Furthermore, the UNP has the control to dissolve the Parliament through Executive Presidency powers which held by President Sirisena. The UNP can advise the President to dissolve the parliament as promised in the Presidential campaign.
As part of that they should fulfill the promises made by President in his election manifesto.
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Patriot / March 12, 2015
The full credit for the removal of Mahinda Rajapaksa should be given to Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera not to the UNPers or the JVPers. As such, the president has an obligation to listen to Maduluwawe sobhitha thera who represents all the people of Sri Lanka not the selfish UNP politicians or the JVPers.
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Lakshman / March 12, 2015
How stupid can RW and UNP be.Who cares what their working committee decides and wants.It is a stark fact that only the President can dissolve the Parliament and call for an Election.We need to get out from this notion that because many UNPers voted for MS and elected him as the President the country at the same time opted for an UNP government.All what the country needed at the hour was to see the last of MR.RW and UNP knew very well if they fielded RW as a presidential candidate what the result would have been.Even if the common candidate would have been another person (other than RW) the result would have been the same.
Regardless of what has been promised in the 100 day programme,holding a Parliamentary election soon is not a priority for most us at the moment and instead we would be more interested in seeing the critical issues being attended to during the lifespan of the current Parliament.
Looking at the mess being created by UNP led cabinet within a very short time that they have been around we can quite well understand the urgency shown by UNP to hold Parlimentary elections soon.
It is best RW and UNP realize that people cannot be fooled all the time and they would soon learn a bitter lesson if they go on to have parlimentary elections soon.
Keep on day dreaming Mr.Wickramasinghe and UNP
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T.A.KUMAR / March 12, 2015
Yes M.S. can appoint ministers and prime minister from his party but 90% are crooks and supporters of Mahinder Sirisena has to stop giving nominations to them to show that he is for yahapalanaya. The U.N.P. also should not install corrupt or people under the hawk eye to any positions whether top or small and they too should not give nominations to any black sheep.
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Truth / March 12, 2015
A unilateral decision by UNP is once again going end the opportunity of having a mixed electoral system that will reduce the appointment of misfits in the parliament.
The UNP government has made over 100,000 people unemployed by the cancellation of both private sector and public sector infrastructure projects. New Hotel and apartment development projects are at a standstill, by the cancellation of the casino licence issued to John Keels Water Front Project to develop Tourism on the lines of Singapore.
The JHU is unhappy about the lack of progress in closing down the bookies and taverns opened by MPs and their henchman in every village. Not a single drug baron has been indicted. Please carry out an opinion poll to discover the extent of the swing of the support base away from UNP to SLFP & the known Devil. He who declares war without planning the strategy is bound to end up in defeat (Art of War).
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lulu / March 12, 2015
We the people are now free to give their opinions and views on decisions made by the Government and its allies unlike before hiding and being scared of white vans. Pledges were made during elections, however to unravel the huge amount of fraudulent activities after having been voted into power is immeasurable. Therefore patience and understanding from the people is appreciated. If the present government goes on an arresting spree it will be no different to former regime.
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lakshman / March 12, 2015
Though most us understand the ground situation unfortunately RW and his cohorts do not have the capacity to realize same.Can we entrust this country’s future to these morons
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K.A Sumanasekera / March 12, 2015
Siripala must be shitting in his pants.
Sirisena couldn’t careless as he has 6 full years for the bro to run Telecom and the Son to finish his degree and get a job in London..
Ranil has a better than even money chance to become legit and give Vellalas their Eelaam.
Because none 0f the 5.8 Million would vote for the current bunch of blue shirts in Parliament,.
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Lasanda / March 12, 2015
Time has come to send the Traitors to hell!!!!!!
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Tea Cut / March 13, 2015
Every effort must be made to defeat this move. The people want electoral reforms first before the general. Campaign hard against UNP – WC decision.
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shankar / March 13, 2015
The UNP can say that the election should be held after april 23 because that was what was told to the people by sirisena to get elected that he will coplete a program in 100 days and have a fresh parliament.
sirisena also can say that he had entrusted the government to ranil to complete the 100 day program but it has not been completed especially in the corruption,waste and crime areas in the past being uncovered.
So after april 23 sirisena should ask ranil to step down and personally take over the running of the country for a further 100 days.After that time he is not morally fit to continue as he will be breaking his pledge to the people of 100 days and not even after 200 days having elections.So the maximum time that can be given is 200 days only.
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muthubanda / March 13, 2015
This appears to be yet another foolish decision by a foolish and arrogant RW. MS was elected to office on the promises made by him and not those of the Prime Minister. That 100 days will lapse before they can be accomplished is unfortunate time management, but certainly not the end of the world. It is the expectation of major social and political change that united the nation to vote MR out of office and hence must be made true before the country goes to the polls. There may not be another chance.
If, as is highly probable the UNP does not get a majority, the constitutional, electoral, governance etc related changes may not happen. Nor will we see any meaningful action to dismantle the military state in the north and reconcile, rehabilitate and devolve powers to the north.
Responsibility does not sit well with RW who after all has very little experience in this field. He has for 20 odd elections led his party to defeat after defeat, which was not a concern for him for he was yet able to enjoy the perks of a cabinet minister plus more. A very cushy life style with no accountability. Jan 8th changed that and he is in an unusual and uncomfortable position. Is an April election without fulfilling the promises an express attempt to turn back the clock?
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Donald J Gnanakone / March 13, 2015
This is another diversionary and scare tactics on the UNP, SLFP and all their acolytes.
There is NO elections this year. It will be only next year while the elections will split the opposition and the government leading to a hung parliament. All are contesting separately. So are the Tamils. Especially Mano Ganeshan’s DPF and TNA.
This will again lead to a Sinhala Buddhist Racist-Chauvinist National Unity Government led by Ranil as PM but without the participation of the Tamils.
Donald Gnanakone
Tamils For Justice
Founder.
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Rumad / March 14, 2015
Personally, I believe a General Election around next year or later will be a more desirable thing from the confused country’s point of view. But what makes our friend Mr. Gnanakone to insist it will not be held in April or this year? In reading some of his earlier comments, one gets the feeling he is one of those who believes only what he says is right and everybody else are fools.
Rumad
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maali karunaratne / March 13, 2015
MS and RW obviously cannot fulfil the promises made within 100 days. The corruption and bribery accusation cannot be cleared in 100 days. We all know how lethargic the AG’s Department and the Police are in this country .
I know several victims of rape had not yet got justice. We are yet to know how many child abuse cases are pending in the AG’s Department. Further there are many officers who would support MR and purposefully delay the cases.
Also the cases that MR’s group are involved is not simple ones like an office taking a bribe. It is complicated and they would have covered their tracks too. so expecting bribe takers to be taken in soon is not possible.
If we have elections, MR’s platform would go to town saying that they are innocent and they did not bring charges against them.
I would agree with Rev Sobitha that we should postpone the elections and clean up MR’s mess and also the issues related to the present governor of Central Bank etc. Otherwise it would be like MR going for elections before time. If they go now RW and MS would loose.
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