New electoral system for LG Polls after analysis

Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena stated that officials were instructed to analyse the statistics of all the results of the last Local Government election throughout the country to recommend the proposed new electoral system.

He said this advice was given at a meeting of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) chaired by him last Thursday (10) to identify reforms in elections and electoral structure and rules and to make necessary amendments in that regard.

Gunawardena, who is also the PSC Chairman said the PSC had earlier agreed to draft the report accepting as a principle a mixed voting system in which 60% of all people’s representatives will be selected during elections based on the First Past the Post (FPP) system and 40% through proportional representation.

He said that in principle, it was agreed to recommend giving two additional seats to the winning Party or Group to ensure majority stability in Local Government bodies.