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. |