The National People’s Party (NPP) members in Switzerland held a protest in Geneva on Sunday against the alleged attempts of the Sri Lankan Government to deny the people the right to franchise. The protest took place at 1 p.m. in front of the United Nations Office in Geneva. The protestors held placards calling for President Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down from the post and called for timely elections to be held in Sri Lanka. The protestors also shouted slogans against the Government’s new tax regime, the increasing cost of living, the drug shortages in hospitals as well as the rising costs of electricity and fuel. The protest was part of a series of demonstrations planned by the party in other countries against the delayed Local Government elections in Sri Lanka. The NPP has maintained that the Government is intentionally attempting to delay the vote due to its unpopularity among the citizens at this juncture. A similar protest was held in Melbourne, Australia in front of the State Library over the weekend. It was organised by the Save Sri Lankan Foundation affiliated with the NPP.