No poll before electoral reforms-Nimal
16 March 2015 01:05 pm
The main opposition UPFA today reiterated that there would be no Parliamentary Elections before introducing Constitutional and Electoral reforms and it would not let Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to force President Maithripala Sirisena’s hand to dissolve Parliament soon after April 23 as he had already announced.
Leader of the Opposition, Nimal Sirisipala De Silva told a hastily called press conference at his office that the constituent partners of the UPFA took the decision to introduce Constitutional and Electoral reforms in one go and not to go for an election after a lengthy discussion with President Sirisena last morning.
Asked whether President Sirisena was agreeable to their stance, he said ‘We are confident that he would agree as those arrangements are included in his 100-day programme. What we want is these two legislative arrangements to be passed in Parliament in one go and not piecemeal.”
“The demands to abolish the executive Presidency or at-least to prune its draconian powers and also to introduce a mixed electoral system have been floating among politicians, political parties, professionals, media and among the public for several decades but no government was able to go ahead with this vital reforms.
“Therefore, this is the last opportunity to do this as all political parties in Parliament, including the UNP, are in agreement to do this as early as possible.
“This exercise will not be difficult as the UPFA with 139 members in Parliament are fully supportive for the reforms,” Mr. De Silva stressed.
(Sandun A Jayasekera)
Pix by Kushan Pathiraja