News
Provincial elections under old system
View(s):- Pressure mounts on Govt. as Core Group, India push for early polls to make devolution meaningful
By Damith Wickremasekara
The Government is considering holding the provincial council elections under the old system to overcome the impasse caused by disagreements over the delimitation process.
A senior government source said that as the new delimitation process is complex and long-drawn, a proposal is under consideration to revert to the Provincial Councils Elections Act of 1988 for the next election.
“We are considering holding it for one last time under the old system, which will give time for the delimitation process to be completed, after which the elections can be held under the PC Act of 2017,” the source said.
There is growing pressure on the government to hold the PC election without further delay.
In the draft resolution tabled at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this week, the Core Group behind it called on the Government to fulfil its commitments on the devolution of political authority, which it said was integral to reconciliation and the full enjoyment of human rights by all members of its population.
It also called on the Government to respect local governance, including through the holding of elections to provincial councils, and to ensure that all provincial councils, including the northern and eastern provincial councils, are able to operate effectively, in accordance with the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
Also at the UNHRC session this week, India’s representative urged the Government to conduct the PC polls.
“India’s approach has always been to support the aspirations of the Tamil community for equality, justice, dignity and peace within the overall unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. In this regard, India has consistently called for the full and effective implementation of the Sri Lankan Constitution, early conduct of provincial council elections, and meaningful devolution of powers,” said Anupama Singh, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in Geneva.
Under the 1988 PC Act, members are elected under the Proportional Representation (PR) system, while the amended Provincial Councils Elections Act in 2017 introduced a Multi-Member Proportional system which provides for a mix between the PR and the Westminster (first-past-the-post) systems.
However, differences over the delimitation commission report done in 2018 have delayed the holding of the PC elections, which were last held in 2014.
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