July 06, Colombo (LNW): National People’s Power MP, Vijitha Herath, has requested the Supreme Court to dismiss a petition aimed at preventing the Election Commission from holding the 2024 Presidential election.
Herath argues that the petition is legally flawed.
Chamindra Dayan Lenawa, a businessman from Panadura, filed the petition, seeking a ruling to stop the election until the Supreme Court clarifies the current President’s term length.
Lenawa’s petition challenges the interpretation of Article 30(2), arguing that the 19th Amendment should not have changed the term length from six years to five.
Herath, in his intervention, emphasised that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution explicitly reduced the presidential term to five years.
He insists that the Election Commission is required to conduct the next Presidential election in 2024, adhering to this amendment.
Highlighting that the current President’s term ends in November 2024, Herath asserted that the election must be held in the same year.
He has sought permission from the Supreme Court to intervene in the case to oppose the businessman’s petition.
This intervention was filed through Attorney Manjula Balasuriya.
