According to reports, the local government elections scheduled to be held next month in Sri Lanka, which is in economic crisis, are to be postponed.
It was announced that local government elections will be held in Sri Lanka on March 9. After Ranil Wickremesinghe took over as the President of Sri Lanka in July last year amid severe economic crisis, this election is considered important for him.
In this case, in a report submitted to the court on behalf of the Election Commission of the country, it has been stated that the government treasury has refused to provide funds for the printing of ballot papers, the purchase of fuel and the provision of police protection to the polling booths.
While speaking to a news agency, the Chairman of the Election Commission of the country, Nimal Punjihewa, said, “I recently assured the Supreme Court that the elections will be held on time. But now I am informing the court that we cannot do that as the government has not released the necessary funds.” mentioned that.
Earlier, President Ranil Wickremesinghe had said that it was impossible to hold elections when the government’s revenue was insufficient to cover salaries, pensions and essential services.
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Wickremesinghe, who succeeded Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president, has taken measures to deal with the debt burden received from the International Monetary Fund by raising taxes and increasing the price of various goods.
Meanwhile, in the Sri Lankan Parliament on Tuesday, the opposition parties carried anti-government banners and chanted slogans. They accused the government of refusing to face elections to retain its power.
Opposition Member of Parliament Vimal Weerawansa has criticized Ranil Wickremesinghe as using the country’s economic crisis to his advantage by refusing to hold elections as an act of suppressing democracy.
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka is expected to rule on the case on Thursday, but even if the court orders the election, it is not known whether the Sri Lankan government will have the funds to do so.
It is estimated that it will cost the country about one crore (Sri Lanka) rupees (about 22.7 lakh rupees in Indian currency) to conduct the local body polls.
In Sri Lanka, home to nearly 2.2 crore people, inflation has been rising for more than a year and prices of goods have skyrocketed. There is a severe shortage of essential commodities.
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Last Updated Feb 22, 2023, 10:15 AM IST