Working with Civil Society …Review of Provincial Council (Elections) Amendment Act

It was a privilege to work with the Civil Society Committee to Review Provincial Council Election System during July and August of 2018. The Committee consisted of the following: –

1. Professor Sudantha Liyanage, Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
2. Dr Sujata Gamage, Senior Research Fellow, LIRNEasia
3. Mr Rohana Hettiarachchi, Executive Director of PAFFREL
4. Mrs Kumudini  Samuel, Researcher and Social Activist, Women and Media Collective
5. Mr Luwie Ganeshathasan, Attorney At Law, Researcher
6. Mr Manjula Gajanayake, National Coordinator of CMEV
7. Mr S. Medawewa, President, Election Professionals Association and a retired Civil Servant
8. Mr P. M. Siriwardhane, former Additional Commissioner of Elections
9. Mr Amar Gunatilleke, Chief Executive Officer, Marga Institute

The Committee met several times to discuss to review and discuss the current Provincial Councils Elections (Amendment) Act No17 of 2017, and identified issues and came up with several proposals. In addition to the changes to the Provincial Councils election system, the committee considered several others issues as being important to protect representative democracy in Sri Lanka. The other issues that were identified were:

1. Campaign financing
2. Internal party democracy
3. Candidate selection
4. Preventing crossovers

Our proposals were:-

1. Give a Bonus of four seats to the Party receiving the highest number of votes in the case of Provincial Councils with less than 50
2. Give a Bonus of five seats to the Party receiving the highest number of votes in the case of Provincial Councils with 50 or more members.
3. Make selection method for Party Lists more democratic and make the process public.
4. Pre-rank the District List, but give Political Parties the flexibility to appoint 1/3^rd of their District Member entitlement from among the candidates who did not win in FPP electorates.
5. Give the Secretary of the Party the flexibility to nominate persons for the bonus seats referred to in 3 above from the District List or from among those not elected in the FPP electorates.
6. Increase the mandatory nomination for women in the FPP electorate list from one sixth to one fifth so that more women get a chance to contest.
7. Zip the Pre-ranked District List by alternating the names of women and men. The list should start with the name of a woman.
8. If Parliament decides to revert to the preferential vote system of the past it is crucial to bring in a mandatory provision of twenty-five per cent nominations of women

Well, it expanded my horizons and broadened my experience.