Although discussions have commenced regarding the holding of Provincial Council (PC) Elections, it will not be possible to reach a final decision within this year, according to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government A.H.M.H. Abayarathna said that preliminary talks had already begun, but a final decision could only be made after careful consideration and consultation.
“Discussions have already begun regarding holding PC Elections, but I don’t think a final decision will be made by the end of this year. This has been a long-standing issue and a decision will have to be made after considering all the factors and discussing it with other political parties and organisations. We have to reach a point where everyone agrees if we are to make a final decision.”
The PC Elections have been on hold for several years due to a legal issue arising from an amendment introduced by the then Government during 2015-2020.
Although Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government Prabha Ruwan Senarath had earlier said that the Government would begin the legal reform process for PC Elections after the Local Government Elections held in May, no visible progress has been made since then.
Recent media reports indicated that the Government is examining the possibility of reverting to the Provincial Councils Elections Act of 1988 instead of the Provincial Councils Elections (Amendment) Act of 2017 to resolve the deadlock caused by disagreements over delimitation.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) has requested Rs. 10 billion in the 2026 National Budget to conduct the long-delayed polls.
EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said recently that such requests were made annually until the respective elections were held. He also explained that the delimitation work related to the PC Elections had already been completed and that the report had been submitted to Parliament a few years ago.
However, the report had been rejected.
“In the current situation, for the PC Elections to be held, it will have to be considered whether it can be conducted according to that delimitation report under the existing legal framework. If not, a new delimitation will be required, or the elections will have to be held according to the previous system,” he said.
He added that if a fresh delimitation were to be pursued, it would take nearly a year to complete. Therefore, if the Government plans to move forward with that option, he suggested that the process would have to begin without delay.