Election Commission informed of two vacant parliamentary seats

The Acting General Secretary of the Parliament Chaminda Kularatne has informed the Chairman of the Election Commission in writing that two Parliamentary seats in the Ninth Parliament have become vacant from the 09 August 2024 due to the cancellation of the parliamentary seats of Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando.

This has been informed in terms of the Sections 64(1) and 64(5) of the Parliamentary Elections Act No. 1 of 1981, the Parliamentary Communications Department said.

On 09 August 2024, the Supreme Court determined that the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s (SJB) decision to expel Galle District Member of Parliament Manusha Nanayakkara and the National List Member of Parliament Harin Fernando from the party is legally valid. As a result, the two Parliamentary seats became vacant.

The Supreme Court declared this ruling while dismissing the petitions filed by the Minister Harin Fernando and Minister Manusha Nanayakkkara challenging the SJB’s decision to remove them from their party membership.

On July 18, 2023, the Working Committee of the SJB decided to expel party members Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara from the party. In May 2022, the SJB had suspended the party membership of the two parliamentarians after they had accepted ministerial portfolios in the government while the party had vowed to take disciplinary action against them.

However, the General Secretary of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Ranjith Madduma Bandara stated that party member Bandulal Bandarigoda will be appointed fill the parliamentary seat which fell vacant following the suspension of the party membership of Manusha Nanayakkara through a Supreme Court ruling.

Bandarigoda, who secured 34,897 votes and the third place from the Galle District in 2020 General Election, is next in line on SJB’s preferential vote list.

Meanwhile, he also said a qualified individual will be named by the SJB to fill the MP seat which remains vacant as Harin Fernando was also disqualified to hold the MP seat due to the suspension of his party membership, since Fernando was elected to the Parliament through SJB’s national list.