Focus on PC polls instead of Presidential polls - President

President Maithripala Sirisena has claimed that certain individuals are attempting to divert attention from the Provincial Council elections by expressing various views on the Presidential polls.

He made this remark during a meeting with the electoral organisers of the Uva and Central provinces at the President's Secretariat yesterday (Jan 13).The meeting was a part of an ongoing series of discussions between the President and the electoral organisers of the SLFP in a bid to restructure the party.

President Sirisena while urging all parties to focus on preparing themselves for the provincial council polls before commenting on a Presidential election, also said that he had held talks with the Elections Commissioner in this regard.

During the meeting, the President had reiterated that the people must be given an opportunity to exercise their right to vote by conducting the provincial elections without further delay.

Further, Mr. Sirisena had refuted allegations levelled against the Presidential Secretariat for the delay in appointing the heads of departments and corporations by stating that the ministries must bear the responsibility of making the relevant appointments to all state organisations which came under their purview.

On the same note, he said that the Presidential Secretariat will not take the blame since it was was the Prime Minister's office which has not submitted the list of nominees to his Secretariat as of yet thereby resulting in the delay.

He also emphasised that these appointments will take place through the ad hoc committee that was appointed to suit this purpose.