This year's Provincial Council election cannot be held - Tilvin Silva

Given the current situation in the country, there is no possibility of holding the Provincial Council election this year, says Mr. Tilvin Silva, the General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). He further stated that the possibilities regarding this will only be explored next year.

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is also the main constituent party of the National People's Power (NPP).

The Provincial Council system in this country has remained inactive since 2017. However, the National People's Power's election manifesto primarily emphasizes decentralization of power, constitutional reforms, and holding the postponed Provincial Council elections.

Meanwhile, due to a legal issue arising from the new law introduced to change the electoral system, holding the Provincial Council election has become a difficult task for the Election Commission. The Provincial Council Elections (Amendment) Act No. 17 of 2017 introduced a new mixed proportional representation system, under which 50% of representatives were to be elected through the ward system and the remaining 50% through proportional lists.

The Delimitation Commission appointed for the delimitation work required for this new system prepared its report and submitted it to Parliament in 2018. However, due to disagreements among political parties, an agreement could not be reached, and it was debated and defeated in Parliament.

Since delimitation under the new system is legally challenging and time-consuming, opposition parties emphasize that the election should be held under the old electoral system. Meanwhile, a Parliamentary Select Committee has also been appointed to investigate and report to Parliament on what the suitable electoral system for holding the Provincial Council election should be.