The Delimitation Committee Report on Provincial Councils will be taken up for special debate in Parliament on August 24 from 11.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. and would be put before the House for a vote to be passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
The decision to have a special debate on August 24 was agreed to at a recent Party Leaders’ Meeting chaired by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.
Party Leaders on July 20 had agreed to schedule PC Elections on January 5, 2019 if Parliament could arrive at an agreement on matters relating to elections before the end of October, Parliamentary sources told the Sunday Observer yesterday.
The Delimitation Report was presented to the House by Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha on March 6. Elections for the Eastern, North Central and Sabaragamuwa PCs are already due and the terms of another three PCs, the Central, Northern and North Western PC will expire by the end of next month.
Meanwhile, highly informed sources told the Sunday Observer that at present no final consensus has been reached by the political parties on the new electoral system recommended by the Delimitation Committee Report.
According to the existing legal provision, before holding the PC elections, the Delimitation Committee Report has to be passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament. However, no final consensus has been reached by the major political parties whether the PC elections should be held under the old or new system.
Reliable sources confirmed that party leaders of several constituent parties of the Government as well as the UNP have expressed their willingness to conduct the PC polls under the old electoral system. Even the Joint Opposition has said that they too agree to conduct PC elections under the old system.
The stance of the TNA has not yet been announced.
However, the SLFP faction in the Government, the JVP and the JHU another constituent party of the Government have said that the PC elections should be held under the new electoral system. If the Delimitation Committee Report is not be passed in Parliament by a two-thirds majority, a Committee has to be appointed afresh for delimitation purposes.