Raising concerns about the Cabinet’s approval to amend the current electoral system for parliamentary elections, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) has alleged that such a move might lead to the postponement of the election.
The proposed amendments, backed by the Cabinet, suggest direct election of 160 Members of Parliament from constituencies, while the remaining 65 seats would be allocated through a proportional voting system at either the national or provincial level.
Expressing apprehensions, PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi stated in a press conference that previous encounters with electoral system amendments in Sri Lanka had disrupted the election process, resulting in delays.
Hettiarachchi cited instances such as the postponement of local government and provincial council elections for two years. Consequently, there are concerns that the proposed electoral system amendments might lead to further election delays.
Moreover, Hettiarachchi underscored the significance of the delimitation process in any changes to the electoral system, highlighting past scenarios where election authorities had postponed elections due to delays in finalizing the delimitation process.
PAFFREL cautioned that the proposed amendments could potentially delay elections unless there is consensus among political parties regarding the delimitation process.
“Failing to address this issue promptly could hinder the electoral timeline as scheduled,” Hettiarachchi added.
