President noncommittal on timeline for Provincial Council Election

• President says ready to hold the Provincial Council election as we  have allocated Rs. 10 billion

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana   

The opposition MPs attempted to secure a response from  President Anura Kumara Dissanayake regarding the timeline for the  conduct of the elections to the provincial councils.   

The President said the delay was the absence of  delimitation of electorates. “There is no delimitation system for us to  conduct the election. It was the Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils of the Yahapalana government Faiszer Musthapha, who  presented the legislation for the delimitation system. Now it is stuck  without passage through Parliament. We are not responsible for this  muddle,” the President said.   

“You were also shouting against the legislation and voted  against during that year,” opposition MPs led by Dayasiri Jayasekera  were heard saying.   

“I did not shout against it but kept silent during that debate,” the President said.   

“We are ready to hold the Provincial Council election as we  have allocated Rs. 10 billion. However, I am not the one who is deciding  on the day of the election,” the President said.