PC Electoral System report out this week | Sunday Observer

PC Electoral System report out this week

5 August, 2018

Minister of Provincial Councils, Local Government and Sports Faizer Mustapha will present the review report on the Provincial Council Electoral System to the Cabinet this week. It will also be submitted to party leaders for their review, Ministry sources confirmed.

The report compiled by a civil society committee inclusive of academics, election professionals and civil society activists led by election monitors People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) and the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) proposes the mixed-member proportional representation which was passed by a two-thirds majority in parliament, be retained with few amendments.

According to Head of Operations at CMEV, Manjula Gajanayake the Minister was positive regarding the proposals made by the committee on various electoral system related issues such as the inability of political parties to form working majorities in councils and women’s representation.

Minister Mustapha has given his undertaking that the recommendations of the committee will be presented to the leaders of political parties represented in Parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers to consider when formulating necessary amendments the CMEV said.

“It is important that these recommendations are taken seriously by the government at a time where certain political parties are trying to go back to the old system,” Gajanayake said adding that the government should not yield to these pressures.

The report was also submitted by the committee to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya who in turn claimed it would assist the Delimitation Review Committee.

During the review process it was identified that most of the criticisms levelled against the new system were not due to its technical faults but was a result of the inherent weaknesses in current political culture. The committee has also considered additional issues such as campaign financing, internal party democracy, candidate selection and prevention of crossovers, Gajanayake said.

The committee also noted that proposed amendments should not take time to implement and give reason for relevant stakeholders to further delay the Provincial Council Elections.

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