The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in Sri Lanka, together with the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), will conclude its general election campaign with an online meeting livestreamed through the party’s Facebook page at 3 p.m. Sunday, August 2.

The SEP is fielding 43 candidates for three districts—Colombo, Jaffna and Nuwaraeliya—in the scheduled August 5 general election. All previous SEP election meetings, which attracted significant audiences, were held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The election is being held as COVID-19 infections are spreading across the country, exposing earlier claims by President Gotabhaya Rajapakse’s government that it had successfully controlled the disease. Indifferent to the health and lives of the masses, the government has lifted the lockdown it reluctantly implemented in late March and “reopened” the economy.

The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna administration wants to win a two-thirds parliamentary majority in order remove limited constitutional restrictions on the president’s authoritarian executive powers. It aims to establish a presidential dictatorship based on the military in order to crush the inevitable struggles of the working class and the oppressed masses against the austerity measures it is implementing.

The so-called opposition parties—the United National Party, its breakaway faction, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Tamil National Alliance—have no fundamental opposition to Rajapakse’s dictatorial agenda. All fear the growing opposition of the working class.

The SEP is the only party in this election fighting for the independent mobilisation of the working class based on international socialism and against growing social inequality, the danger of imperialist war and the threat of dictatorship.

The SEP election meeting will be addressed by party speakers, including General Secretary Wije Dias and leading candidates. They will explain and elaborate the international socialist program on which the party’s election campaign is based.

We invite workers, youths, intellectuals and WSWS readers to attend and participate in this important event online.

Meeting details:

facebook.com/sep.lk
3 p.m. Sunday, August 2