Udaya: Govt. planning to hold presidential and general elections simultaneously

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday (03) claimed that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government was exploring the possibility of conducting presidential and parliamentary polls simultaneously.

Attorney-of-Law Gammanpila alleged that the government was doing so as President Ranil Wickremesinghe had rejected the SLPP’s call to hold the parliamentary polls before the presidential election scheduled for Sept/Oct this year.

The Colombo District MP said that the law provided for holding the two national polls on the same day. Asked to explain, MP Gammanpila said that the Election Commission was constitutionally bound to call nominations for the presidential polls between July 17 and September 04. The PHU leader said that President Wickremesinghe could pave the way for both elections on the same day by dissolving Parliament on the day EC announces the calling of nominations for the Presidential poll. (SF)