Revised 20A draft before Cabinet

The revised draft of the 20th Amendment will be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers for approval on Wednesday, an authoritative source from the Presidential Secretariat said.

The revised 20-A is tipped to carry the concerns raised by the minority and minor parties which have formed an alliance to fight for their interests in the backdrop of moves to bring in a new mixed electoral system to strengthen Parliament.

"The Cabinet draft will include their inputs but if the final draft of the Bill that goes before Parliament will have them is a political decision," the sources told the Sunday Observer.

The minority and minor parties including the TNA, JVP, SLMC, EPDP, ACMC, LSSP and a group of minority members of major parties met at the Waters Edge on Friday to discuss proposals for the 20th Amendment to safeguard their parliamentary representation after the electoral reforms are implemented. Asoka Abeygunawardena, an energy sector professional and a member of the resource team backing the original 20-A proposals said when the 2010 election results were processed under the new electoral system, the JVP and the TNA received one extra seat each.

Therefore, the argument that the minor and minority parties may be wiped out under the proposed electoral system is invalid, he said.