Courtesy Hiru News

Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake, states that there is currently no legal framework in the country under which to hold the Provincial Council elections.

He explained that the old law was repealed, and the new set of laws being drafted has been stalled since 2018.

The Commissioner General stressed that the entire responsibility for this lies with the Legislature, and they must take decisive action on the matter.

Ratnayake further urged public representatives in the Legislature to be committed to establishing the relevant law immediately, instead of merely discussing the election itself.

The previously proposed 50:50 mixed-proportional system, introduced in 2018, included delimitation as a compulsory component.

Although the delimitation process was completed and submitted to Parliament, the entire Parliament, including the subject minister, opposed it.

Subsequently, a Prime Minister’s Committee was appointed by Parliament to resolve the issue, followed by another committee that included former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.

However, the process was suspended after the Parliament was dissolved.

The Commissioner General emphasised that this continued delay in establishing the necessary law is directly impacting the holding of the Provincial Council elections.