Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa accused the government on Saturday of deliberately delaying Provincial Council elections out of fear that public support has eroded since the Local Government polls, telling a gathering of former PC members at the Opposition Leader’s Office that the NPP had lost approximately 2.3 million votes between the parliamentary and local government elections and was now reluctant to face another electoral test.
Premadasa said the administration was avoiding Provincial Council polls because it feared losing further ground, and argued that holding the elections was important to safeguard democratic rights and allow citizens to express their views on the rising cost of living and other economic pressures. The public, he said, was “prepared to hold the government accountable.”
The SJB leader announced plans to establish a national steering committee to campaign for the conduct of Provincial Council elections and to advocate for the concerns of local communities. He defended the PC system itself, rejecting claims that the councils were ineffective and arguing they had played a significant role in regional development and investment promotion. On constitutional reform, he said the SJB supported implementing the 13th Amendment in its current form, rejecting what he described as conflicting positions taken by other political groups on devolution.
Premadasa also warned against granting any government excessive political power and said even his own party would seek only “a reasonable parliamentary majority rather than unlimited power” — a notable framing from a leader of the country’s largest opposition formation. He criticised the administration for failing to reduce electricity tariffs and fuel costs despite its strong mandate, and accused it of neglecting public hardships.
Saturday’s remarks build on Premadasa’s SJB May Day rally framing, where he declared the SJB-UNP alliance “effectively formed” and challenged the government to hold the polls. The PC elections have not been held islandwide since 2013; a parliamentary Select Committee continues to study legal hurdles including amendments to the Provincial Councils Elections Act and outstanding delimitation rules. The CPA’s May 25 policy brief documented the decade-long delay as the longest in PC history.
