Sri Lanka's Provincial Elections: A New Review

Sri Lanka's government plans to form a parliamentary select committee to review legal challenges hindering provincial elections, unscheduled since 2018 due to electoral reform attempts. The need for a delimitation committee stalled the switch from proportional to a mixed representation system. India urges expeditious elections following last votes in 2013 and 2014.

Sri Lanka is set to establish a parliamentary select committee aimed at reviewing the legal complexities stalling the provincial elections for the nation's nine councils. The elections, overdue since 2018, face hurdles largely due to the pursuit of electoral reform.

According to Leader of the House, Bimal Ratnayake, the committee's objective is to expedite the electoral process. The current impasse results from the parliament's inaction over the establishment of a delimitation committee needed for transitioning from proportional representation to a mixed system. Parliament must decide whether to retain the existing system, a preference reportedly shared by most political parties.

The history of Sri Lanka's provincial councils originates from the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord. Intended to resolve Tamil minority demands for autonomy through regional power devolution, the system's reform now seems imminent amidst renewed calls, especially from India, for timely elections, reflecting the last full cycle held in 2013-14.

(With inputs from agencies.)