Presidential or PC elections take precedence over GE - Patali | Daily News

Presidential or PC elections take precedence over GE - Patali

A Provincial Council (PC) or a Presidential election should take precedence over a General Election (GE). A General Election can be held before these only if it is approved by Parliament with a two thirds majority, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

The Minister expressed this view to the media after participating in a series of religious ceremonies including a Sanghika Dana to 600 bhikkhus at the Ruwanweli Seya premises in Anuradhapura recently. Minister Ranawaka emphasised that they would never allow a postponement of the Presidential election which is the first election due in terms of the Constitution.

 They would never leave room for Parliament or the Judiciary to impede the Constitutional provisions of conducting the Presidential election on the due date.

He said nominations should be called for the Presidential election after October 8 this year.

Although the Provincial Council election was due to be held first it could not be conducted due to some reason or other.

“Therefore, we should prepare the country for holding the Presidential election,” he said. Referring to the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the Easter Sunday incidents, Ranawaka said it was set up with the approval of the Government and the Opposition in Parliament.

Its objective was to find those responsible for leaving room for this crime, despite prior warnings and incidents and thereby resolve a problem facing the public.

The duty of the Select Committee was to find out as to what went wrong rather than to search for scapegoats,” he said.

Minister Ranawaka said with the next Presidential election they would put a full stop to the era when Presidents were chosen from separate clans or from close friends.

Ranawaka said talented people with professional qualifications who had passed the scholarship examination and the Advanced Level examination ought to venture into politics and the first step towards achieving this objective would be taken soon.


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