During a parliamentary debate on March 19, Hambantota MP Dilip Wethaarachi claimed that the Weeraketiya Cooperative Society election was held on March 16, despite the Election Commission’s directive against holding local government council elections after their official announcement. In response, National People’s Power MP Aravinda Senarath clarified that the election actually took place on December 29, 2024, and that the meeting held in March was merely a general meeting of the cooperative society.

With conflicting claims about the Weeraketiya Cooperative Society elections, FactSeeker conducted an investigation to verify the accuracy of these statements.

When questioned about the Weeraketiya Cooperative Society elections, the Hambantota Cooperative Commissioner confirmed that the elections were held on December 29, 2024, and clarified that the general meeting on March 16 was not an election.

Following the announcement of the local government elections, the Election Commission directed all Cooperative Commissioners nationwide to cancel cooperative elections. However, permission was sought to hold general meetings for cooperative societies where elections had already taken place. In line with this, on March 10, 2025, the Southern Provincial Cooperative Development Commissioner sent a request to the Hambantota District Assistant Election Commissioner for approval to hold a general meeting. The Hambantota District Election Office granted permission for this on March 14, 2025.

Therefore, FactSeeker confirms that the Weeraketiya Cooperative Society’s general meeting took place on March 16, 2025, and that MP Dilip Wethaarachi’s claim that the society’s elections were held on that date is false.