As Sri Lanka enters into the last week for the Presidential Elections, Opposition leader and SJB presidential candidate, Sajith Premadasa, has reiterated his commitment to implementing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Speaking on the importance of achieving reconciliation among Sri Lanka’s diverse ethnic and religious communities to a local newspaper, Mr. Premadasa stressed that the amendment, which grants powers to provincial councils, is part of the country’s legal framework. The thirteenth amendment to the Constitution has been a long standing demand of people of the north and eastern province which involves devolution of powers to the provincial councils.

Meanwhile, speaking at a public rally in Matale, incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed criticism from the National People’s Power, that the country’s leaders have achieved little over the past 75 years. He countered these accusations, pointing out significant progress in education and infrastructure. He noted that while there were only 3,188 schools in 1948, Sri Lanka now has 11,300. Additionally, the country has grown from having just one university to 17 today.