General election not necessary

27 December 2018 07:10 pm

Referring to a statement made by UNP National Organiser Navin Dissanayake that the party was gearing itself for a general election in April 2019, UNP MP S.M. Marikkar said today such an election was not necessary.

“We need a presidential election first instead of a general election. In any case, a general election cannot be held till February 17, 2019 because the current Parliament completes four-and-a-half year term on that day. You need to approve a resolution with a two-thirds majority to hold an election before that. Given the current circumstance, there is no way that a two-thirds majority can be secured by any party in Parliament,” Mr. Marikkar told a media briefing.

He said the President could declare a presidential election after January 8, 2019 and that it was preferable to hold a snap presidential election rather than a general election.(Yohan Perera)