The Election Commission (EC) is awaiting a final decision on the electoral system for Provincial Council (PC) Elections, with Sri Lanka having remained without fresh PC Elections for 11 years.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake stated that the commission could not take any responsibility in relation to conducting the elections as it was awaiting a Government decision on the electoral system for the Provincial Council Elections.

In 2017, the Provincial Councils Elections Act of 1988 was refined in order to bring it to the same standard of conduct as Local Government Elections and the mixed-member system was introduced through this refinement.

However, the report of the Delimitation Committee chaired by Dr. K. Thavalingam had been rejected in Parliament. 

“During the past 10 months, we conducted three elections. If we had the law, we wouldn’t be able to delay this. The commission has neither the economic nor legal independence to hold elections without Government approval,” he said.

He added that continuing with the old system required a clause or resolution for the representation of women within the system.

People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said that a meeting involving the Election Commission and several political parties had been held on Thursday (28), with favour being extended towards conducting the PC Elections under the old system.

Hettiarachchi presented two possible ways in which to hold the PC Elections: adding a short amendment to the old system allowing a quota for female representation or reviewing the rejected delimitation report through a new committee.

If the report is to be reviewed, a timeline should be established for the process, he said.

According to Hettiarachchi, a preference had emerged during discussions for holding PC Polls in early 2026, before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

He also noted that a private member’s bill for the elections had been discussed.