Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ruled President Ranil Wickremesinghe guilty of “unlawful conduct” for indefinitely delaying local elections, which were viewed as an informal referendum on his economic management.
While the court’s decision does not have immediate legal consequences due to Wickremesinghe’s immunity while in office, the state of the economy is likely to be a major issue in the upcoming presidential election next month. The local elections, initially scheduled for March 2023, were postponed, making the September 21 presidential vote the first since Wickremesinghe assumed office.
Wickremesinghe, who took over after widespread protests led to the ousting of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July 2022, is seeking re-election for a five-year term. The 75-year-old faces significant competition from other candidates.
On Thursday, Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya and a five-judge bench unanimously found that Wickremesinghe had failed to allocate funds for the local elections, despite a court order to do so. His administration argued that the funds were necessary for public services and pensions.
The court criticized Wickremesinghe’s “arbitrary and unlawful conduct” for infringing on constitutional rights by preventing the local elections.
In response, Wickremesinghe defended his decision to postpone the elections, stating he was focused on addressing the economic crisis and protecting the rights to life and voting.
The court has directed the independent election commission to schedule the local polls promptly, ensuring they do not interfere with the presidential election. Additionally, the government has been ordered to cover the legal fees of the petitioners who challenged the delay.
Wickremesinghe, who was appointed interim president by lawmakers in July 2022, previously served as an opposition MP. His administration secured a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in March 2023, following significant tax hikes and removal of subsidies.
The postponed local election was anticipated to serve as a gauge of public sentiment regarding the austerity measures implemented to obtain the IMF bailout, with critics accusing Wickremesinghe of using the economic crisis to undermine democratic processes.
