Sajih Premadasa claims vote for CMC Mayor violated guidelines

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today claimed that the vote to elect the new mayor of Colombo was not held in accordance to the guidelines by the Ministry of Public Administration.

Mr Premadasa said it was questionable as to how the guidelines were changed by the official who conducted the vote.

Defeated  Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Mayoral candidate for the  Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), Riza Zarook  also claimed that the manner that the vote was held was not fair.

He said the Commissioner of the Department of Local Government of the Western Province, Sarangika Jayasundara who conducted the vote, failed to follow proper procedures and allow an open vote to decide whether it should be an open or a secret vote to decide on the Mayor.

After a hour long debate Ms Jayasundara held that a secret ballot should be held.

But, Mr Zarook,  pointed out that inorder to decide whether it should be an open vote or a secret vote, the official should have first held an open vote, keeping with the Public Administration decision taken recently.

Ms Jayasundara, however maintained that a secret vote should be held to elect the new Mayor.

She claimed that she received advice from the Ministry on the subject.

Meanwhile, Mr Zarook who was unsuccessful at today’s Council election said some of them who promised to vote for him had not kept to their promises.

‘We had black-sheep’ among the group, he said after the election of the new Mayor was completed.