UNP files FR petition against holding NWPC, CPC election

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 December 2008, 20:33 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) of Sri Lanka Thursday filed a fundamental rights petition in the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court to order the Commissioner of Elections to suspend holding elections to the North Western Provincial Council (NWPC) and central Provincial Council (CPC) until the establishment of Constitutional Council and the Independent Election Commission under the 17th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution, legal sources said.

Chairman of the UNP Gamini Jayawickrema Perera through his lawyer Chitrananda Liyanage filed the FR petition citing the Commissioner of Elections and the Attorney General as respondents.

UNP begs court that holding elections to provincial councils under the incumbent Sri Lankan Commissioner of Elections without the establishment of Constitutional Council and Independent Election Commission would lead to corruption and malpractices during polling and also would not ensure fair and free elections.

The Sri Lankan Supreme Court in its order earlier in another FR petition had stated that there were corruption and malpractices in such elections held earlier.

The petitioner has submitted that the SL Supreme Court had reserved its order for January 26 next year on a petition requesting the court to order the government to establish Constitutional Council and Independent Election Commission before holding any elections in the country. Until the FR petition is inquired and order given the court should order the election commissioner not to hold elections to the NWPC and CPC.