A decision regarding the Provincial Election Council is set to be taken at the Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held today (29). Accordingly, a decision will be taken if the election will be conducted under the old preferential system or under the new divisional system.

Last week, Public Services, Provincial Councils & Local Government Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon tabled two proposals in this regard to the Cabinet of Ministers. The discussion regarding the proposal was postponed for a week and was scheduled to take up on 29 March, after a group of Ministers requested that it was necessary to study the Cabinet paper.

One of the proposal included that the Provincial Election be held in the old manner, by repealing the new Act pertaining to the conducting of Provincial Council Elections which was passed in Parliament and enacting the old Act.

The second proposal included that the new Act must be amended to appoint 70% of the members at the divisional level and the remaining 30% at the under the proportional system if the election is to be held on a mixed system.

The Cabinet paper has further proposed that two additional members be appointed instead of the two bonus seats that are given when a party wins the Provincial Council Elections.

Accordingly, the Elections Act will be amended to provide 04 seats for a Provincial Council consisting of 02 districts and 06 seats for a Provincial Council consisting of 03 districts

However, Samagi Jana Balawegaya General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara stated that the Government is attempting to postpone the Provincial Council Elections. He noted that the importance lies with holding the election, not the methodology used to hold the election.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party General Secretary State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara also clarified the party's stance on the provincial council election and said that the election should not be held on a preferential basis.