evidence: The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)-backed government, associated with the worst economic crisis Sri Lanka has ever faced, is expected to face a crushing defeat at the local council election. Therefore, the government has been attempting to postpone the election, through several constitutional and unconstitutional methods, until they receive the IMF bailout package of $2.9 billion. The government believes that this funding, along with the expected bridging finance could be used to stabilize the economy and that an election should be held at a more favorable time. [...] Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake told The Diplomat that no country has postponed elections under the pretext that there is no money in the treasury. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has blatantly attempted to influence the Elections Commission, which is an independent commission, as well as to spread false propaganda about divisions among commissioners, Gajanayake said. Given that the president has said that elections will not be held until the Sri Lankan economy is stabilized, it is unlikely that the government will provide the necessary funding unless mass protests compel them to. Why is the government trying so hard to delay elections? The most obvious reason is that it would suffer a massive defeat and that would delegitimize its existence. It won’t be able to carry out its IMF-approved program. This in turn would mean that they will not receive the IMF bailout that they are desperate to have. No political party wants to face that fate.