20th April 2020

We are a group of six women’s organisations based in different districts of the country, engaged in work to increase women’s representation in politics for over two decades.

We note with grave concern reports and speculation in various media sites that the President is to call Parliamentary elections, possibly for the end of May. Giving some credence to this speculation was an announcement by Minister of Health, Pavithra Wanniarachhi that the COVID-19 contagion in Sri Lanka would be ‘over’ by the 19th of April. While the Minister has yet to offer any scientific evidence for the basis of this conclusion or suggest that it was informed by health professionals battling the virus, it is significant that the Elections Commission indicated an electoral process needed to begin by the 20th of April, if a new Parliament had to meet by the 2nd of June. The Elections Commission of course stated categorically that this was impossible in the context of the COVID pandemic.

The ill-timed Presidential dissolution of the last Parliament on the 2nd of March as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to spread globally forced Sri Lanka to respond to the burgeoning crisis without a sitting Parliament. It also forces the country into a constitutional crisis if a new Parliament is not elected by the 2nd of June. Both the Elections Commission and respected medical professionals are of the categorical view that it will be extremely dangerous to begin a process of electioneering in the midst of this pandemic.

The Elections Commission has called on the President to seek the opinion of the Supreme Court on how to avert the impending Constitutional crisis. We together with a number of civil society organisations called for the non dissolution of Parliament at the very outset and expressed our deep disaffection that this requested was not heeded. We have since called for a rescinding of the dissolution and an immediate reconvening of Parliament. We wish to emphasize that the Constitution and the Parliamentary Elections Act allows for the President to withdraw the Gazette which dissolved Parliament.

While we are very aware that elections cannot and should not be postponed indefinitely, neither must they be held amidst the grave danger posed life by this pandemic. Sri Lanka has in no way overcome this crisis. Health professionals have cautioned that while the number of infected remain low this is also a consequence of very limited testing. They also warn that Sri Lanka’s comparative mortality rate is significant and therefore a much more vigorous testing process needs to be initiated before we can safely be free of contagion.

To be free and fair, elections must be held in an environment that allow for free movement and Sri Lanka has to fulfill a range of WHO recommendations before public life can resume to the extent required for the conduct of a free and fair election. Such an election also requires a period for independent election campaigning among the public and cannot be rushed. We vehemently emphasize that Sri Lanka is not as yet at that stage in its COVID-19 response.

We therefore strongly demand that Parliamentary elections not be held in the near future and that the President must instead reconvene Parliament within the bounds of the law. We believe the COVID-19 crisis will be more effectively overcome through the active engagement of a sitting legislature and that it can only strengthen Executive action with the assistance of an engaged Judiciary. A systematic and effective response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the conduct of a free and fair election will only be possible if this critical and urgent course of action is taken.

Women and Media Collective
Women’s Resource Centre, Kurunegala
Women’s Development Centre, Badulla
Viluthu Centre for Human Resource Development
Rural Women’s Front, Galle
Women’s Solidarity Front, Kandy