JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said the government expects to hold the long-delayed Provincial Council elections next year, marking the first senior ruling-party signal that the polls will not be held within 2026.
Speaking at the opening of the National People’s Power (NPP) Jaffna District office on Sunday, Silva said the last Budget had originally allocated funds to conduct the Provincial Council elections this year. The government, however, was forced to redirect approximately Rs. 500 billion towards disaster relief and recovery efforts following the Cyclone Ditwah disaster, he said.
Silva pointed to a second obstacle: unresolved legal complications surrounding the Provincial Council electoral system, arguing that changes made during former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s term had created ambiguity over the legal framework under which the polls should be held. A parliamentary committee has been appointed to study the matter and recommend the legal basis for conducting the elections, he said.
“If no other major issues arise, we believe it may be possible to hold the Provincial Council Elections by next year,” Silva said.
The remarks mark a substantive shift from the government line of just nine days ago. Science and Technology Minister Chrishantha Abeyasena had told reporters on May 15 that Provincial Council elections would be held within 2026, also citing Cyclone Ditwah for the delay.
The Election Commission has told the Vijitha Herath–chaired parliamentary special committee twice this week that it is ready to hold the polls under whichever system Parliament approves, placing the procedural responsibility back on the legislature.
The Jaffna office opening signals organisational expansion for the NPP in the Northern Province, where the party drew limited support in the 2024 general election.
