Electoral Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake has issued a clear statement that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who did not contest the recent parliamentary elections, cannot be nominated for a National List seat in Parliament.
Wickremesinghe, who was not named among the National List candidates of his party, the New Democratic Front (NDF), had earlier expressed that he did not expect to return to Parliament. However, there had been some discussions about the possibility of nominating him for one of the two vacant National List positions allocated to the NDF.
Despite these talks, Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake confirmed that, under the current electoral law, only candidates who either contested the election and lost or those who have been officially entrusted by a party or independent group to be part of the National List can be nominated. Since Wickremesinghe did not contest the election and was not listed as a National List candidate, the law does not permit his return to Parliament through the National List route.
Ratnayake emphasized that there is no legal provision allowing for the nomination of someone outside the list of candidates presented by a party or independent group. Therefore, Wickremesinghe will not be able to return to Parliament, despite any political discussions or desires to the contrary.
This clarification follows previous statements by NDF leader Saman Ratnapriya, who had expressed an intention to nominate Wickremesinghe for the available National List seat. However, with the Electoral Commission’s stance, those plans are now officially blocked.
