Although Wickremesinghe has legal immunity while in office, meaning there are no immediate legal repercussions from the ruling, the state of the economy is anticipated to play a significant role in the upcoming presidential election next month.
The local elections, initially scheduled for March 2023, were postponed, making the September 21 presidential election the first vote since Wickremesinghe assumed office two years ago.
He became president after mass protests over an unprecedented financial crisis led to the ousting of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July 2022.
Now seeking re-election for a five-year term, Wickremesinghe faces a tough battle against his opponents. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, unanimously found that Wickremesinghe failed to allocate funds for the local government elections in March 2023, as required by a prior court order. His government argued that the available funds were needed to pay public servants and pensions.
The court declared Wickremesinghe’s actions as “arbitrary and unlawful,” stating that his decision to block the local elections violated constitutional rights.
Despite this ruling, Wickremesinghe remained unapologetic, telling his supporters that he had postponed the elections to prioritize the nation’s recovery and protect citizens’ rights to both life and vote.
The court has ordered the election commission to conduct the local polls as soon as possible without interfering with the forthcoming presidential election.
Additionally, the state must cover the legal costs of the four petitioners who challenged the election delay.
Wickremesinghe, who was previously an opposition MP, was elected as interim president in July 2022 by lawmakers following Rajapaksa’s resignation.
In March 2023, he secured a $2.9 billion IMF bailout loan, which required unpopular austerity measures, including tax hikes and subsidy cuts, that the delayed local elections were set to judge. Opposition figures at the time accused Wickremesinghe of using the economic crisis to undermine democratic processes.