The Supreme Court (SC) has conveyed its determination on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution that paves way for electoral reforms to Parliament last week, Parliamentary Secretary General Dhammika Dassanayake said. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya who is on an overseas trip is expected to announce the...Supreme Court ruling - whether the 20th Amendment is in breach of the constitution or not - upon his return early this week.
The Chief Government whip Lakshman Kiriella said they would accept it if the SC rules that the Parliament needed a two-third majority to pass the latest amendment but if it calls for a referendum, the Government will discuss and decide a way forward, which also means they could drop the 20-A altogether. Meanwhile, Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Dehspriya said the Commission will go ahead with the preparations to hold Local Government Elections in December. “If the 20th Amendment is not passed before October 2, we will have to hold the election in December,” the Chairman said.
He said if the 20th Amendment is given the green light by the Supreme Court, the election might be postponed to January but if the SC rules the 20th Amendment is in breach of the law and hence needed a two-thirds majority and a referendum, the election will have to be held in December, as planned. The tentative polls date is December 9.
The nomination notice is likely to be issued on November 23 which compels the election to be held before December 18, according to the Local Government Elections Act. The Act has specified that the polls date should be a Saturday, giving the option of December 2, 9 or 16.
In that case, December 9 is likely to be the polls date, in view of the Holy Prophet’s Birthday which falls on December 1 and Unduvap Full Moon Poya on December 3, December 2 will be an unlikely date. December 16 will be in between the GCE Ordinary Level examination, which commences on December 12.