Former Election Chief Mahinda Deshapriya Sounds Alarm Over Unelected Provincial Councils

Veteran election official raises constitutional concerns over prolonged absence of elected representation

Former Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya has issued a stern warning against the ongoing practice of allowing Provincial Councils to function without duly elected members, describing the situation as a serious threat to democratic governance in Sri Lanka.

Deshapriya, who is widely regarded as one of Sri Lanka's most respected electoral authorities, made his concerns clear in remarks that have drawn significant attention from political circles across the country. He argued that permitting these councils to continue operating in the absence of elected representatives sets a deeply troubling precedent for the nation's democratic institutions.

A long-standing democratic deficit

Provincial Council elections in Sri Lanka have not been held for a number of years, leaving the councils without a legitimate elected membership. Critics, including Deshapriya, contend that this prolonged delay undermines the very foundation of devolved governance that the Provincial Council system was established to provide.

The former commissioner's intervention brings fresh urgency to a debate that has simmered within Sri Lankan political discourse for some time, with civil society groups and opposition parties also calling for elections to be held without further delay.

Democratic principles at stake

Allowing provincial bodies to function without elected members is fundamentally at odds with the principles of representative democracy that Sri Lanka's constitution enshrines.

Deshapriya stressed that the absence of elected councils deprives millions of Sri Lankan citizens of meaningful local representation, weakening accountability at the provincial level and concentrating power in ways that were never intended by the framers of the country's devolution framework.

Calls for immediate action

The former election chief's warning is expected to intensify pressure on the government and the Election Commission to set a firm date for Provincial Council elections. Among the key concerns he raised were:

• The erosion of democratic norms through prolonged delays in holding elections
• The lack of accountability that arises when councils operate without an elected mandate
• The constitutional implications of bypassing the electoral process at the provincial level
• The risk of normalising unelected governance structures within Sri Lanka's political system

Deshapriya's remarks are likely to resonate strongly with a Sri Lankan public that has grown increasingly vocal about the need for transparent and timely electoral processes, particularly in the aftermath of the country's recent economic and political upheavals.

As debate over the future of Provincial Council elections continues, the former commissioner's intervention serves as a timely reminder that democratic institutions derive their legitimacy solely from the will of the people — expressed through free and fair elections.

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