UNP urges authorities to respect voters' verdict

United National Party (UNP) backed independent group has secured victory over CMC winning 23 seats.

UNP deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya said the voters should not be allowed to punish due to “technical errors”.

The UNP list of nominations, led by former minister Sirisena Cooray, was rejected by the returning officer as the list included a candidate younger than qualifying age, 18.

The party intends to propose amendments, he said, to the existing laws on local government elections as there was confusion over whether councillors could be replaced by those who did not contest the polls.

Elections commissioner Dayananada Dissanayake has announced that the parties cannot change the names of their candidates after the polls.

But the leader of the winning group, S Rajendran, told BBC Sandeshaya that 20 of elected councillors will resign paving the way for Cooray to become the next leader of the CMC.

There may be legal challenges against any move to appoint UNP candidates, analysts pointed out.

Jayasuriya said party would decide how to respond to any challenge “if and when needed”.

“The people have given a verdict. It is the duty of those who respect democracy to respect that verdict,” he told journalists in Colombo.