The Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka urged all citizens to do their utmost in choosing worthy candidates for parliament in the forthcoming general elections.

In a statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka noted that through this, the public can get the government it deserves.

The Catholic Bishops Conference in Sri Lanka also urged the citizens to think of the country and the present and future generations and act with great responsibility in ensuring that they elect the representatives with great care, and thereby ensure that the country has a government genuinely interested in the development of the mother land.

The statement further reads that the Catholic Church has always upheld the importance of electing worthy candidates to the legislature as the people’s representatives and adds that educational background, general culture, integrity and honesty, respect to the rule of law are qualities that should characterise those who are aspiring to political leadership.

The statement noted that due to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which has given additional powers to the Elections Commissioner, there seems to be an atmosphere conducive to a free and fair election. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka goes on to note that the traditional affiliation and loyalty to one’s own political party should not be the sole criterion in the exercise of franchise.

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