Text and picture by PRIYAN DE SILVA
Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies Manjula Gajanayake says that with the postponement of the local government elections, all three types of local authorities will be under administrators appointed by the government after 20 March 2023, when the one-year extension of term declared by the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government would expire.
The law does not permit the Minister to extend the term limit of the local authorities any further and all the local authorities would be deemed dissolved and administered by the commissioners and secretaries under the control of the Governors of the respective provinces. As the President is the appointing authority of the Provincial Governors they are bound to carry out the President’s bidding.
At present the Parliament is also virtually at the mercy of the President as he has the authority to dissolve it at any time he wishes.
“This setup will more or less create a dictator and postponing the local government polls in a most undemocratic manner is the first step taken in that direction,” Gajanayake said.