According to a press release issued by the Presidential Media Division (PMD) yesterday (9), President Ranil Wickremesinghe is to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to decide on the Parliamentary voting system by July next year, with the next General Election to be held under the new system.
This virtually rules out the possibility of Parliament being dissolved, or an election being held, in the first half of 2023, despite the President being vested with the powers to dissolve Parliament by February next year under the 20th Amendment to the Constitution .
President Wickremesinghe yesterday (9) said that a referendum will be called to decide on the Parliamentary electoral system if the PSC that is proposed to be established fails to reach a decision on the matter by July next year.
“I discussed this matter with Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe (PC) as well. We will propose a PSC to decide on the Parliamentary voting system. That committee has to convene and discuss the matter. This matter cannot be delayed, because a decision should be taken by July next year; failing which, I will opt for a referendum to seek public opinion on which electoral system is preferred,” he added.
He also said: “The PSC should finish the activities entrusted to it. If not, I will divert the responsibility to the people to do the work. We can’t avoid these responsibilities; we must move on,”
President Wickremesinghe also noted that the main reason for corruption in Sri Lanka’s political sphere is the preferential system.
“We need to prepare a new voting system. A decision should be taken to implement either the list method without preference, or the mixed method (single and proportional method). A decision should be taken after discussions, before the upcoming election, and that election should be held under the new system,” he said.
He also noted: “The suitable people will subsequently be elected. This is something that we have to do. Today, there is no agreement among the parties. The main parties are told one thing and the minor parties are told another. We cannot seek progress in this manner. Hence, the political parties need to take a decision in this regard.”
Meanwhile, he further said that he expects to reduce the number of council members of local authorities such as Municipal Councils, Urban Councils, and Pradeshiya Sabhas from 8,000 to 4,000, and to implement the Jana Sabha system (Public Councils), before the next election.
He made the above comments during a discussion with a group of professionals held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.
He said further that the executive power of Pradeshiya Sabhas should be vested in a chairman-based committee instead of the same being vested in a single chairman, adding that laws will be drafted for this purpose before the next Pradeshiya Sabha election.
Courtesy:The Morning