Rhetoric, reality and franchise
Tuesday 8th September, 2026 President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has embarked on a nationwide tour to drum up support for his government, whose approval rating has declined, according to a Verite Research opinion survey. It is possible that he has launched his re-election campaign, the way his predecessors did, as some political commentators argue. The Opposition […]
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has embarked on a nationwide tour to bolster support for his government, which has seen a decline in its approval rating, according to a Verite Research opinion survey. Some political commentators speculate this may mark the beginning of his re-election campaign. The Opposition contends the President's current push is aimed at a possible referendum on the 22nd Amendment Bill, but the President remains confident he can amend the Constitution without a referendum to raise the retirement ages of superior court judges.
At a rally in Kalutara, President Dissanayake dismissed allegations that he plans to nullify elections through a referendum. He affirmed that parliamentary and presidential elections would proceed as scheduled, and Provincial Council polls would be held after addressing legal hurdles. Elections for provincial councils have been postponed since 2017; the Eastern, North Central, and Sabaragamuwa Provinces last held elections in 2012, Central, Northern, and North Western Provinces in 2013, while the Western, Southern, and Uva Provincial Councils held theirs in 2014.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya has criticized the current situation, stating it's a clear violation of the Constitution to run provincial councils without elected representatives. Deshapriya urges the urgent holding of PC polls and questions the government's fearlessness in facing elections. He proposes holding the PC polls under the Proportional Representation (PR) system to avoid the lengthy process of redrawing electorate boundaries, advocating for a five-year window to complete delimitation and other tasks.
A private member's bill, introduced by MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, seeks to amend the Provincial Council Elections Act, No. 2 of 1988, facilitating PR-based PC elections. Should this bill pass, Deshapriya believes PC polls could be held within four months. The JVP-NPP government, holding a two-thirds majority in Parliament, can amend the Provincial Council Elections Act at will, as evidenced by their campaign promise to hold local and provincial council elections within a year of forming government.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
