Sri Lanka: Harini Must Be Held Accountable — Or Scrap the Election Itself

by A Special Correspondent in Colombo

Let’s stop pretending. What Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya did wasn’t a misstep, a slip of the tongue, or a poorly worded rallying cry. It was a deliberate, public call to break the law — in her own words, urging supporters to keep campaigning even after the legally mandated silent period began.

“We’ll go silent in another four hours,” she said, standing before a political rally. “But you don’t need to be silent. Make a phone call, say a word while walking down the street — do something in your own way.”

This is not subtle. This is not gray area. This is textbook election law violation — broadcast for all to see. And if the Election Commission of Sri Lanka does not act with urgency and force, it may as well dissolve itself.

The law is clear. The 48-hour silence period before elections exists to give voters peace, reflection, and protection from last-minute manipulation. It is not optional. It is not a suggestion. It is the line that separates campaigning from coercion.

Harini Amarasuriya, holding the highest office in government, crossed that line — gleefully, publicly, and with complete confidence that no one would stop her. If the Election Commission cannot even enforce the rules against the Prime Minister, what credibility does it have left? What authority can it claim when ordinary candidates are punished for far less?

This cannot be dismissed. Not as “enthusiasm,” not as “momentum,” and certainly not as “democratic passion.” It is illegality — and worse, it is a demonstration that those in power believe they are above the law.

The Commission must launch an immediate and thorough investigation. If election laws were violated — and the evidence is plain — the logical outcome must be disqualification of government candidacies in the district where this breach occurred. The rules demand it. Public trust demands it. The very idea of a fair election demands it.

Anything less is cowardice. Anything less is complicity.

If this kind of blatant lawbreaking can happen on camera, with no consequences, then the election itself is a farce. If Harini walks free from this, the Election Commission becomes nothing more than a decoration on a broken system.