Electoral system reforms, referendum ruse to postpone LG elections – IRES

by PRIYAN DE SILVA

Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake has said President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s undertaking to reduce the number of local government councillors, by 50%, appoint a parliamentary select committee (PSC) to come up with electoral reforms, and hold a referendum if the committee does not submit its proposals by July next year, was a ruse to delay holding the local government elections, which should be held before 20th March 2023.

Gajanayake said the report by a PSC to formulate electoral reforms had been presented to Parliament, by its Chairman Dinesh Gunawardena, on 22 June 2022, and there was no need to appoint another PSC.The four-year term of the local government authorities, which was to end in mid-March 2022, was extended by one year by the then Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon. The one-year extension ends on 19 March 2023 and, according to the Local Government Act, the LG elections could be held between 20 September 2022 and 20 March 2023. As no further extensions are possible, the power to hold the election is now with the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.

Gajanayake said that as an election observer, IRES expected the ECSL to exercise their power by holding the LG poll before 20 March 2023. Gajanayake said the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils had reportedly prepared a new proposal to change the current electoral system and postpone holding the election as the outcome would be disadvantageous to the present regime.