GOVERNMENT IN A QUANDARY

PRESIDENT MAITHRIPALA-LED SLFP INSISTING ON POLLS UNDER THE NEW ELECTORAL SYSTEM

The government is reportedly in a quandary being unable to hold the provincial council elections because the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) is opposed to any reversion to the previous electoral system.

The political party leaders at their meeting last week discussed matters pertaining to the elections. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe asked for two more months to complete the review of the delimitation process so that it could pave the way to hold the PC elections under the new system which is a mix of the proportional representation system and the first-past-the-post system.

The elections to three provincial councils are overdue by more than an year while the term of office of three more councils will end next month.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is the main opposition, urged the government to revert to the previous electoral system and hold the elections without further delay. TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran underscored the importance of holding elections and said the government should introduce legislation to revert to the previous electoral system if it were the only way to avoid further postponement.

He also conveyed his party’s stance to the government.

“It is not that we do not like the new electoral system. We urged the government to revert to the previous system if it is the only way to avoid any delay,” the MP said.

All the political parties including the ruling United National Party

(UNP) and the joint opposition are in favour of conducting elections under the previous system. However, according to reports the SLFP headed by President Maithripala Sirisena is opposed to such a move.

The elections to three provincial councils are overdue by more than an year while the term of office of three more councils will end next month