AMN
The National People’s Power led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) held a protest in the Town Hall area in Colombo against the postponement of the Local Government elections.
Supporters of JVP gathered at the Victoria Park yesterday to protest the postponement of the LG elections. Several members of Parliament including Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Vijitha Herath and Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Meanwhile, the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court had issued an order preventing any protest marches from taking place in the Kollupitiya and Colombo Fort areas.
Last week, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Parliament that the local government elections were not officially announced by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.
The protesters accused the President Ranil Wickremesinghe of influencing the State officials and the Election Commission against the holding of the polls, fearing a loss. Police tried to disperse the protesters and fired water cannons and tear gas twice at the Union Place area of central Colombo, where authorities had blocked several access roads.
The election to elect councillors to 340 local councils for a four-year term has been postponed since March last year due to the ongoing economic crisis. The Government has indicated repeatedly that the time was unsuitable to hold the election, given the economic crisis.
The Election Commission had on Friday announced that the local body elections would not be held on the 9th of March. It further said that a fresh date will be notified on the 3rd of March.