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| Sunday, 10 July 2005 |
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No premature polls says Minister by Thava Sajitharan Coming down heavily on UNP's 'Jana Bala Meheyuma' launched to demand the next presidential election to be held this year, government's new media spokesperson and Health care and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva denounced the main opposition party's claims. "We are convinced that the next presidential election could be held only in November 2006" he said. "Constitutionally it is not possible for the Government or the Commissioner of Elections to declare a presidential election this year" the minister said. These emphatic reiterations were made by the minister along with another four ministers at a press conference held in Colombo last Friday to brief about the Sri Lanka Freedom Party's central committee meeting held on the previous day. "In terms of the constitution enacted by the UNP regime of J.R.Jayawardane, it's very clear that during the 2nd term of office of a president, the president has no constitutional right to call for a premature election." Explaining further, Minister Silva explained that even the commissioner of elections with whom the power to call for an election lies, cannot make an arbitrary decision; the decision has to be made within the ambit of the constitution. "This simple provision of the constitution must be known to the legal experts of the UNP". "Therefore", he said, "it's a wasteful excercise to go on processions for obtaining a presidential election this year". |
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