‘Wickremesinghe can enter Parliament in case of NDF NL vacancy’
Former Chairman of the Election Commission, Mahinda Deshapriya, yesterday said that the appointment of Ravi Karunanayake, as a National List (NL) member, was in line with the Parliamentary Election Act 01 of 1981.
Deshapriya pointed out that appointment couldn’t be challenged under any circumstances. According to Article 99 A, those who had been included in the NL, and defeated candidates, could be accommodated in the Parliament.
Ex-Minister Karunanayake is 10th on the National List of the New Democratic Front (NDF).
The NDF secured two NL slots. Deshapriya said that the Secretary of the NDF had informed the Election Commission of Karunanayke’s appointment and no one could do anything about it.
Asked to explain how those who had neither contested nor were on the NL of a particular party, had been appointed as MPs, Deshapriya said that defeated candidates could be appointed when appointments were first made after a general election. Subsequent vacancies could be filled by anyone, Deshapriya said.
Responding to another query, Deshapriya said that even Wickremesinghe could enter Parliament if one of those originally appointed to NDF’s two NL slots retired.
Deshapriya said that a defeated candidate of any party could enter Parliament from another party via the NL. The ex-official cited Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka entering Parliament as a UNP National List MP in 2015 as an example. (SF)
