Delimitation of wards completed
Report to be published next week :
by Ranil Wijayapala
Political parties will get an opportunity to make observations on the
demarcation of wards with regard to respective local authority areas
once the gazette on the wards system is published within the next few
days, Secretary Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government H.T.
Kamal Pathmasiri told the Sunday Observer.
He said, President Maithripala Sirisena has already signed the
gazette notification on the demarcation of wards in each local authority
area, according to the National Delimitation Committee report, which is
to be published next week. Some political parties have expressed their
dissatisfaction over the way the National Delimitation Committee has
demarcated the wards.
The Government is planning to hold the elections for the Local
Government Authorities on a single day in March next year.
The demarcation of wards in each local authority area is mandatory to
hold the Local Government election under the amended Local Authorities
Elections Act in 2012 and the National Delimitation Committee on Local
Governments appointed in 2013 worked on the demarcation wards in each
local government body.
The UNP Working Committee last week decided not to hold the election
under the new system while the SLFP Central Committee decided to hold
the election under the new system.
However, the Ministry Secretary Kamal Pathmasiri said, the Cabinet
Sub Committee appointed to look into the issue will meet on September 29
to discuss the matter further. The Ministerial Sub Committee comprises
Ministers Kabir Hashim, Susil Premajayantha, Duminda Dissanayaka and
Faiszer Mustapha.
Pathmasisi added, there should be an amendment to the Local
Authorities Act if the forthcoming local government elections are to be
held under the new system which offers a combination of both
proportionate representation and the first past post system.
“The Legal Draftsman’s Department is currently working on these
amendments”, he said. Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said
there was no communiqué from the government so far about the conduct of
local polls, due next year. |