Sunday, August 31, 2014

"Sarath Silva and MR’s third term" 


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 by Sarath N. Silva-August 30, 2014

I write to you in response to the Article bearing the above title published in the "Political Watch" Column of The Sunday Island of August 24, 2014. The Article claims to be a response to an interview of mine published in the IridaLankadeepa of August 17. I raised a strictly legal issue whether the incumbent President, who has been twice elected to office, is qualified in law to be elected to office for another term. If he is not so qualified, whether he is entitled in terms of Article 31(3(a)(i) of the Constitution to direct the Commissioner of Elections to hold a premature Presidential election after the expiration of four years in office, on the basis that he is eligible to hold office for a further term.