The Parliament Special Committee appointed for reforms on election rules and regulations has taken several decisions regarding the holding of elections. The Committee has decided to draft a report consisting of these decisions, said Committee Chairman Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
Accordingly, the Committee has recommended that the Provincial Council election should be held under the old system until a new system is formulated. The recommendation will be included in the report which is currently on development.
The Committee has also recommended that Parliamentary and Provincial Council elections be held under a mixed system. Further recommendations have been made to formulate the electoral legislation in a manner in which the the districts are demarcated so that 60 per cent can be elected by the single system and 40 per cent by the proportional system.
The number of parliament seats must not exceed 225 under any conditions, the Committee concluded unanimously.
Amendments are also to be made to the existing Local Government Election laws, where the Committee recommends that amendments be made to ensure that the winning party has two additional seats in order to safeguard the majority stability in the Local Government bodies.
The current 25 per cent representation of women in local government elections alone should be made mandatory for every other election as well, the Committee concluded. The recommendations also include mandating youth representation.
