By The Pulseline News Desk
The Government is aiming to hold the long-delayed provincial council elections next year, provided no further major obstacles emerge, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva said.
Speaking at the opening of the National People’s Power (NPP) Jaffna District office, Silva said the government had originally planned to conduct the provincial council elections this year and had allocated funds for that purpose in the latest Budget.
However, he said the administration was compelled to redirect nearly Rs. 500 billion towards disaster relief and recovery efforts following the recent cyclone Ditwah, delaying preparations for the elections.
“The funds that had been allocated for the election had to be used for urgent disaster response and recovery activities,” Silva said.
Provincial council elections have remained overdue for several years, with repeated delays drawing criticism from opposition parties, civil society groups, and provincial political representatives who argue that the absence of elected councils has weakened devolved governance and local representation.
Legal implications
Silva also pointed to unresolved legal complications linked to the provincial council elections system, saying amendments introduced during former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure had created uncertainty over the legal framework under which the elections should be conducted.
According to Silva, questions remain over whether the polls should be held under the previous proportional representation system or under the mixed electoral model introduced through reforms that were never fully implemented.
He said the government has now appointed a Parliamentary Committee to study the issue and provide recommendations on the legal basis required to proceed with the elections.
“A Parliamentary Committee has been appointed to examine these matters and recommend the legal framework needed to conduct the polls,” he said.
Silva expressed confidence that once the legal and financial challenges are addressed, the government would be able to move forward with the elections.
“If no other major issues arise, we believe it may be possible to hold the Provincial Council Elections by next year,” he said.
Criticism from the North
However, the government’s latest timeline has already drawn criticism from opposition Tamil political leaders, who accuse the administration of failing to honour its election promises.
M.A. Sumanthiran, acting general secretary of the Ilangai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), has told the media that the NPP’s 2024 election manifesto had clearly promised that provincial council elections would be held within one year, by September 2025.
He has also recalled that when opposition leaders raised the issue with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in November last year, the President had indicated that the elections would instead be held in 2026.
“The government, then, is no different from any previous one in terms of brazenly violating its promises,” a former member of parliament (MP), Sumanthiran has said.
His remarks are likely to intensify political debate over the government’s commitment to restoring provincial governance, particularly in the Northern and Eastern Provinces where the provincial council system remains closely tied to longstanding demands for devolution and political representation.
The provincial council system, established under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, has long been a central feature of debates surrounding power-sharing, governance, and post-war reconciliation in Sri Lanka.
With uncertainty continuing over the electoral framework and timelines, the government now faces mounting pressure to clarify when and how the long-postponed provincial polls will finally be held.
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