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Electoral reforms Select Committee meeting next week

19 Jul 2021

  • Political parties’ proposals to be considered 
BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to identify appropriate reforms to election laws and the electoral system, and recommend necessary amendments to such, has received proposals from 21 recognised political parties, and said proposals will be taken up at the forthcoming PSC sessions. In addition, a total of 155 proposals and suggestions have been received from the public and civil society organisations, the PSC Secretary and Parliament Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General Kushani Rohanadheera said. The deadline for the submission of views and proposals to the PSC ended on 15 July. Accordingly, the United National Freedom Front, the Mavubima Janatha Pakshaya, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Udunuwara Branch, the Democratic Left Front, The Liberal Party, the Eelam People’s Democratic Party, the Democratic United National Front, the Akhila Ilankai Tamil Mahasabha, the United Peace Alliance, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Ceylon Workers Congress, the Social Democratic Party of Tamils, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, the Socialist Alliance, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the Sinhaladeepa Jathika Peramuna, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the United National Party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, among other parties, have submitted their proposals to the PSC. The 15-member PSC, chaired by Foreign Affairs Minister and the Leader of the House of the Parliament Dinesh Gunawardena, met for the first time in Parliament on 17 May. Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Prof. G.L. Peiris, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Douglas Devananda, Wimal Weerawansa ,and President’s Counsel (PC) M.U.M. Ali Sabry, the State Minister Jeevan Thondaman, and Parliamentarians Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Kabir Hashim, Ranjith Maddumabandara, Mano Ganesan, M.A. Sumanthiran PC, Madhura Withanage, and Sagara Kariyawasam are members of this PSC. Meanwhile, the elections monitoring body, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), which appeared before the PSC on 14 July, had presented its proposals. The next Committee meeting is scheduled to convene on 28 July in the Parliament. Attempts to contact Gunawardena and several other PSC members to inquire as to how these proposals would be dealt with proved futile.


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