Stalemate at Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha continues

A group of members of the Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha has requested the relevant authorities to convene a meeting to establish the authority of the council, which has not been set up for more than three months.

It is reported that a group of members has submitted a resolution regarding the issue to the Election Commission, the Governor’s Office and the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government.

Following the results of the local government election, no party or independent group was able to win more than 50% of the total seats required to establish the authority of the Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha.

Accordingly, in accordance with the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act No 22 of 2012, the first meeting was convened on June 17 to elect the Chairman and Vice Chairman. However, due to disputes over the selection procedure, the meeting could not be held as the council did not have a quorum.

A second meeting was convened on July 15, but even then, due to the disputes regarding the selection procedure, the meeting could not proceed due to the lack of a quorum.

As a result, more than three months have passed since that date, however no legal action has been taken to convene a meeting to elect the Chairman or Vice Chairman, according to members.

The members are urging that, under these circumstances, the necessary urgent legal action be taken to convene a council meeting as soon as possible to elect the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha.