• EC Chair urges haste if Govt. takes new delimitation route over existing delimitation/old PR system options  

The Election Commission (EC) stated that if the Provincial Council (PC) Elections are to be held after a fresh delimitation process, it would be better to commence the process at the earliest possible time, as it takes considerable effort and nearly a year to complete.

The PC Elections have been stalled for years due to a legal issue stemming from an amendment introduced by the United National Front led Government during 2015-2020.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake explained that the delimitation work related to the PC Elections had already been completed and that the relevant report was submitted to the Parliament a few years ago. However, he said that the report was rejected and not approved.

“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.

Rathnayake added that if a fresh delimitation is pursued, it would take close to a year. Therefore, if the Government intends to move forward with that option, he said that it would have to begin the process without delay.

On an earlier occasion, the Deputy Minister of Public Administration, PCs and Local Government (LG) Prabha Ruwan Senarath told The Daily Morning that the Government intended to begin the legal reform process for the PC Elections once the LG Elections were completed. However, the LG Elections, held on 6 May of this year, were not followed by any visible preparations either to hold the PC Elections or to initiate the necessary legal amendments.