National Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya made a special request to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday not to delay the Provincial Council Elections.
He made this request during a special meeting convened by the Speaker in Parliament to discuss the PC Elections.
The electoral system to be adopted for the PC Elections was the special focus during the meeting, the Speaker’s Media Division said in a press statement. While agreeing with Deshapriya, the Speaker has stated that a special meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and party leaders will be arranged soon to come to a final agreement on the electoral system to be adopted for the Provincial Council Elections.
Parliament is to take up a full day adjournment debate on PC Elections on July 6 as dissenting views came up at the last Party Leaders’ Meeting on the PC electoral system. The party leaders’ meeting ended inconclusively on June 21. Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha, Election Commission members N.J. Abeysekara and Rathnajeevan Hoole, Delimitation Committee Chairman K. Thavalingam and two of its members were also present at yesterday’s meeting.
The Speaker has reiterated that Parliament and Constitutional Councils should give special attention to provide for the legal provisions to hold the PC Elections without delay, adding that people’s confidence in democracy must be protected.
Minister Musthapha and Delimitation Committee Chairman K. Thavalingam also emphasized the need to hold the PC Elections.
The Elections for the Eastern, North Central and Sabaragamuwa PCs are already due, and the term of another three PCs namely the Central, Northern and North Western PCs will end by September.
Legislation to give effect to a new electoral system, which is a hybrid of First Past the Post system and Proportional Representation system, was adopted in the House last year. However, some political parties, including minority parties, have requested to conduct the elections under the old system. Deshapriya, at a meeting with political party representatives on Tuesday, pointed out that if the Provincial Council Elections are to be held under the old electoral system, legal amendments in that regard have to be passed with a two thirds majority in Parliament.
He also stated that if the PC Elections are to be conducted under the new electoral system, a number of technical errors in the legislation have to be corrected prior to the elections.
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