Sri Lanka's Opposition Urges Timely Presidential Election Amidst Legal Challenges

Sri Lanka's main opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), requested the election commission to conduct the presidential election on schedule between September 17 and October 16, amidst attempts to delay it. The call followed legal petitions questioning the election's timing and constitutional amendments affecting the presidential term. SJB accused the government of trying to postpone the election to avoid defeat.

Sri Lanka's main opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), met with the election commission on Friday to press for the timely execution of the presidential election.

The electoral body has indicated that the election would take place between September 17 and October 16. The SJB's plea follows last week's fundamental rights petition filed by an individual, requesting the Supreme Court to delay the election pending clarity on the presidential term delineation in Articles 30(2) and 82 of the Constitution.

"We met the elections commission to emphasize the importance of holding the election on time. We perceive government attempts to delay it in anticipation of defeat," SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara told the media.

Article 30(2), modified by the 19th Amendment in 2015, limits the presidential term to five years, conflicting with Article 82's stipulation that the term may extend to six years via a referendum. Another petition filed on Friday challenged the election timing, suggesting the 2015 amendment was improperly passed.

This week, the government announced it would introduce a bill to resolve the constitutional ambiguity, which the opposition claims is a tactic to postpone the election. The SJB, which moved an adjournment motion in parliament, condemned the legal scrutiny as a potential delay to the electoral process.

(With inputs from agencies.)