The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna should have the premiership candidacy if it is to support an outsider as the presidential candidate, said the party’s national organizer Namal Rajapaksa.
He was speaking to the media following a meeting at the official residence of party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The MP said they discussed election related matters except the party’s candidate.
“The politburo will take it up and select an appropriate candidate once the election is gazetted,” he added.
Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe officially announced his candidacy for the upcoming Presidential Election.
He made this announcement during a special press conference held today (25).
Former Army Commander, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka formally announced, Thursday, that he will be contesting at the upcoming Presidential election.
In a post on X, Fonseka invited every Sri Lankan to support him to take the country forward.
The announcement comes amidst speculation that Fonseka will support incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Fonseka had, however, insisted he will not support Wickremesinghe as the President was working with the Rajapaksas.
“I wish to announce my Presidential Candidacy to the people of Sri Lanka. For 76 years, we have been led by an inept political group that has led us to bankruptcy. For Sri Lanka to grow, we need to #CrushCorruption. We need to leverage our natural resources to boost income generation. This is my formal and official announcement as the presidential candidate of Sri Lanka for the 2024 Presidential Election. I invite every Sri Lankan to join me to take Sri Lanka forward,” Fonseka said on X.
The Chairman of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) was expected to make his formal announcement early next month at a media event but instead took to social media to declare that he will be contesting the 2024 elections.
The Public Financial Management Bill and the Economic Transformation Bill have been passed in Parliament today (25) with amendments and without a vote.
Amendments were incorporated to the bills during the committee stage and subsequently, the third reading was passed without a vote.
These two bills were presented to Parliament on 22 May 2024.
The government says the two significant bills are aimed at bolstering the country’s economy.
The “Economic Transformation Bill” and the “Public Financial Management Bill,” are designed to enhance the management of public finances, thereby safeguarding against future economic downturns, the State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe said recently.
Explaining the bills, he said the “Economic Transformation Law,” is aimed at preventing future economic collapses and that the legislation stems from the vision of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, rather than being proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The recent stabilization of the economy following previous downturns underscores the importance of preserving this stability going forward, he said, adding that it is necessary to maintain optimal levels of public financial management to avert future economic crises.
The “Public Finance Management Bill” is set to be presented with a focus on enhancing accountability in managing public finances. This legislative initiative aligns with recommendations from a collaborative program with the IMF and holds significant importance for the country’s future financial management, the state minister said.
He said these drafts contain numerous technical intricacies aimed at bolstering confidence in the economy and maintaining the trajectory of the new economic direction implemented thus far.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court recently determined that several clauses of the Economic Transformation Bill are inconsistent with the country’s Constitution.
Consequently, these clauses require a special majority in parliament and, in some cases, approval by a referendum to be passed. However, if the contentious clauses are amended, they can be passed with a simple majority, the court said in its determination.
The President Media Division (PMD), the official portal to announce the President’s decisions, activities and news updates would violate the election law and abuse state resources if the former announces President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s public campaigns in the run-up to the poll, the Election Commission and polls monitoring bodies said.
People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) today said that they have received a complaint against the President’s Media Division (PMD) for announcing to the media and requesting coverage about an upcoming public rally of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, which is to be held in Galle on Saturday (27).
The PMD through its network of designated WhatsApp alert groups to notify the local media about the news and activities of the President had requested coverage today to a public gathering to be held in Galle Municipal Grounds on Saturday, July 27 at 3.00pm under the theme ‘Ekwa Jayagamu – Api Galle’ (Let’s win together – We are Galle).
A communiqué sent by the PMD this afternoon had informed the media groups to be present at the said venue by 2.00pm on Saturday and had asked to provide the names and NIC numbers of the journalists, media teams before 6.00pm today.
Executive Director PAFFREL Rohana Hettiarachchi told the Daily Mirror that they have received a complaint about this event against the PMD requesting media coverage to the said public rally is an offence pertaining to the abuse of state resources.
“PMD is a state mechanism to inform the local and foreign media in Sri Lanka about the daily official updates and news of the President and it cannot give publicity or request coverage to any election campaign by the President as a candidate or his party as a contesting party in the run-up to an election.
This seems to be the second of a series of public rallies, which are to be held in the near future, whilst the first was held in Gampaha last Sunday under the theme ‘Ekwa Jayagamu – Api Gampaha People’s Rally’. We will further monitor this incident and have taken action to report the complaint to the Election Commission,” Hettiarachchi said.
When contacted, Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake told the Daily Mirror that the media units or divisions affiliated to the state bodies, President, Prime Minister or Ministers should not use their resources to give or request private publicity to their superiors during an election, which is an offence.
“Misappropriation or private use of public property has been established as a criminal offence under the offense against the Public Property Act, No.12 of 1982. We will look into this complaint and take relevant action,” Ratnayake said.
Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, released a statement on the 41st anniversary of the anti-Tamil Black July pogroms, which saw the slaughter of over 3,000 Tamils, and renewed the country’s commitment to “demand accountability for human rights violations” on the island.
Trudeau’s statement further noted that:
“In 2022, the Parliament of Canada unanimously adopted a motion to make May 18 Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day– a recognition of Canada’s commitment to stand in solidarity with Tamil-Canadians and Tamil communities around the world in remembering and honouring the victims and survivors of these senseless acts of violence”.
He further highlighted that at time of the Black July riots, Canada established a “Special Measures program to help 1,800 Tamils relocate to safety in Canada and build new lives for themselves and their families”.
“On this day, I join Canadians in expressing my deepest condolences to all who have suffered and lost loved ones during Black July. Together, let us honour the victims of this tragedy and recommit to building a more inclusive and peaceful future, free of hate and violence, for people everywhere”.
Twelve district leaders of the SLPP have decided to act against it if the party decides to field a presidential candidate other than incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Their decision came during talks at a state minister’s residence at Malalasekara Mawatha in Colombo last night (22), lankadeepa.lk reports.
Quoting political sources, it said the participants claimed to have the backing of nearly 75 SLPP MPs.
They also decided to coordinate with them and local government chiefs to carry out a campaign in support of Wickremesinghe.
Former Chairman of the Election Commission Mahinda Deshapriya said there is no obstacle to holding the Presidential Election with an Acting Inspector General of Police.
He said he believes the current IGP can hold the position he held before until the court hearing concludes.
He said he believes a suitable person should be appointed as Acting IGP tomorrow, adding that there may be no IGP until the hearing concludes, but the election can be held under an Acting IGP.
He added that there is no issue because if the country is governed under an appointed President, it is not a big deal to conduct the election under an Acting IGP.
The Supreme Court issued an interim order restraining the exercising duties of Deshabandu Tennakoon as Inspector General of Police.
The petition was filed by eight individuals, including the Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith.
The case was taken up before a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Yasantha Kodagoda, Achala Wengappuli, and Mahinda Samayawardhena.
The petitioners argue that Tennakoon’s appointment, as recommended by the President, contravenes fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.
The Constitutional Council, including Speaker, Deshabandu Tennakoon, the Attorney General, and other relevant parties, have been named as respondents in the case.
Japan has decided to make immediate disbursements of suspended loans, making it the first country to do so after Sri Lanka reached an agreement to restructure official debt, Ambassador Mizukoshi Hideaki said.
Yuri ide, Senior Representative of the Japan International Corporation Agency Sri Lanka office said the decision was taken by Japan to make immediate disbursement instead of waiting for new agreement to be singed in line with the debt restructure.
The decision to make immediate disbursements was showed the confidence in Sri Lanka’s economy and it will also support cashflows and interest rates, Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana said.
Director General of External Resources Ajith Abeysekera said the move will result in the immediate disbursement of 75 million dollars of pending contractor bills in the next few week.
The were about 1.1 billion dollars of committed but undisbursed fund for 11 projects, in power, healthcare, rural infrastructure and an airport terminal.
