PC POLLS SOON AFTER PM’S COMMITTEE REPORT

The five-member committee chaired by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been directed to submit its observations and recommendations to Presidenit Maithripala Sirisena in two months ,Provincial, Local Government Sports Minister Faizer Musthapha said.

“If the UNP wants to conduct the elections under the much criticized preferential voting system it will have to go Parliament and introduce amendments to the Provincial Councils (Amendment) Act of 2017 and have it approved thus causing a further delay

He said the report will be gazetted soon after paving way for the Elections Commission to conduct PC polls next year.

“If the UNP wants to conduct the elections under the much criticized preferential voting system it will have to go Parliament and introduce amendments to the Provincial Councils (Amendment) Act of 2017 and have it approved thus causing a further delay,” the minister said.

He told the media that he did not see any reason for the delay in conducting the PC polls early next year because the report was due in two months. The minister said the delimitation report was rejected because no one wanted to hold the PC polls under the guidelines recommended by the delimitation report.

“What is important is that the political parties rejected the delimitation report and not the new electoral system,” he said.

The minister told a journalist that minority parties opposed the delimitation report fearing their parties would elect a lesser number of members.

He expressed disappointment over the failure of party leaders failing to debate the report next month.

“It was a failure on the part of all members. My responsibility was to table the report in Parliament and I did it soon after I got the report. The SLFP did not vote for the delimitation report despite its stance that the PC polls must be held under the new system,” the minister said.