Concern over proposal to amend electoral system

The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) has said that the elections are likely to be postponed if the proposals to amend the parliamentary electoral system are not properly implemented, raising concerns about the Cabinet of Ministers green-lighting a proposal in this regard.

Acknowledging the need to revise the country’s electoral system, the executive director of the election watchdog Rohana Hettiarachchi highlighted the importance of finalizing the delimitation process before any changes are made to the parliamentary electoral system.

“But if the delimitation process is not concluded even if the electoral system is revised by August, this draft bill must incorporate an amendment that allows the Election Commission to conduct the polls according to the existing electoral system,” he added.

Hettiarachchi also referred to past instances where the local government and provincial council elections were compelled to be postponed due to delays in finalizing the delimitation process.

As per a recent Cabinet decision, necessary laws are to be drafted to amend the electoral system to elect 160 MPs directly from the voters of the respective constituencies, also known as the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system, and for the remaining 65 MPs to be elected according to the proportional voting system at the national or provincial level.

The government said the need to revise the current electoral system was identified in order to meet the objectives of the Election Expenses Regulation Act No. 3 of 2023 and to achieve a fully democratic election.

Accordingly, a Cabinet sub-committee was appointed to ask the views of all party leaders and other relevant parties representing the Parliament and submit a report to the Cabinet with relevant recommendations.

Suggestions have been presented to the committee to elect 160 MPs directly from the voters of the respective constituencies and the remaining 65 MPs to be elected at the national or provincial level according to the proportional voting system and the agreement of the majority has been received for this, the government said