Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
Last Updated : 2024-05-11 12:53:00
12 March 2024 06:56 am - 32 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Colombo, March 12 (Daily Mirror) - Ahead of the pending national elections, the government has made fresh attempts to bring about changes to the parliamentary election system by seeking to amend the Parliamentary Elections Act, a Minister said.
Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe presented a Cabinet paper last week seeking to introduce a mixed electoral system. Under the new system, 160 MPs will be elected under the First Past the Post System and 1nother 65 MPs under proportional representation.
Under FPTP, the candidate who receives the most votes in a local constituency wins a seat in the House. By contrast, PR is the idea that parties' seats in Parliament should be allocated so that they are in proportion to the number of votes cast.
The paper was referred to discussion among the representatives of various political parties in the House. Minister Rajapakshe who is currently in London told Daily Mirror over the phone that some parties were in favour of the proposals whereas others were against it.
The successive governments made similar efforts in the past to change the current electoral system of proportional representation. However, no piece of legislation could be enacted because of differences among the political parties.
Proportional representation is widely criticized because of discrepancies in the conduct of elections. Questions are now raised in political circles as to why the government opted to change the electoral system with elections around the corner.
Prince Tuesday, 12 March 2024 07:05 AM
The government is in fear of a sounding defeat. Looking of ways to delay and win by hook or crook. They will try everything under the sun the stay in power. RW will definitely try everything to stay in power. He will try ways to get the MPs because he will never win by elections or people's vote. There will be more promises and gifts until election time.
Buddhist Tuesday, 12 March 2024 07:06 AM
If Wijedasa is involved in drafting a bill then we can be 100% sure that more than 75% of the clauses would violate the constitution.
Anil Fernando Tuesday, 12 March 2024 08:46 AM
Why the excitement. It does not affect a Presidential election.
joshua Tuesday, 12 March 2024 08:52 AM
The people should rally around and chase way these greedy and power hungry morons, like they did for Rajapakshes
Voter Tuesday, 12 March 2024 09:01 AM
Crooked Agendas!
ROSH Tuesday, 12 March 2024 09:06 AM
These idiots are making mockery of the democracy. We need the genuine leadership genuine direction not the people who master debate in front of the parliament who even can’t talk in public.
Suhada malli Tuesday, 12 March 2024 09:12 AM
Elections are around the corner once in every 2 years. And looks like we always always elect the wrong leaders. Therefore if electoral change is needed it should be pursued without making an election happening in early 2025 a bottleneck. We need a parliament that is efficient and capable of getting a job done. As a nation if we put barriers in front of us we will just be dreamers and arm chair critiques and not doers.
Jude Tuesday, 12 March 2024 09:43 AM
RANIL And his UNP received only 249,435 and RANIL is The Head of this country, because RANIL promised to protect the previous regime by not prosecuting for corruption and bankrupting the country. I've a message for you Ranil, you're gonna spend rest of your life incarcerated come October!!
Nimal Tuesday, 12 March 2024 10:34 AM
This is nothing but a sordid attempt to postpone the elections once again. The nephew is more of an autocrat than his uncle.
Lk Tuesday, 12 March 2024 10:42 AM
Out 225 most of them will go home this time . Now this government is playing a trick to twist things if they can secure some places in back door .. I don't think people of this country are fools now as they have been fooled for 75 years Years of ignorance have gone now. Politicians may need run away from this country. Uganda; China ; Canada and many other place
Vernon Tuesday, 12 March 2024 10:45 AM
Irrespective whether it should be done now or not, this should not be decided by political parties, or members in parliament, but by the public. The present parliamentarians have come through an unacceptable system, and hence should not be the deciding factor.
Please do us a favour to arrest thieves Tuesday, 12 March 2024 11:02 AM
Will the UK Govt arrest him for crimes against humanity? Clearly a visa violation?
Fedrick Soysa Tuesday, 12 March 2024 12:31 PM
The Govt is opting to change the electoral system in order to make it more fair and accurate.
Ah Tuesday, 12 March 2024 01:24 PM
Unfortunately some don't understand. They keep attacking for the sake of commenting something. No capability to understand the difference then in 2022- beginning 2023 and now. Short memory we SLs have. Forgot the l9 g queues and fights. Oh God please give the basic intelligence to all of us.
Onlooker Tuesday, 12 March 2024 02:21 PM
No this a ploy to get more MPs by SLPP. Under the current system people will vote directly for 196 MPs, while the rest are from the National List Proportional basis. New system to increase the NL MPs to 65 is to collect the little votes they get in all electorates added together and so get at least a few more into Parliament by increased total votes. The smaller parties who do not contest islandwide will lose out.
Sad but true Tuesday, 12 March 2024 04:17 PM
Agree with Onlooker. That is how Ranil got a seat though he got only 20000 votes. Colombo district UNP contested every seat and got small amounts which added up gave him one nominated seat.
Jayaratne Tuesday, 12 March 2024 12:37 PM
Good. Give the jvp two thirds so they can be like the 1970 communist government.
Mahila Tuesday, 12 March 2024 08:13 PM
Yes!!?? Why NOT, give the Masses, a Taste of it!!??? So that, people who now claim, “We don't know what happened then”, will come to know FIRST-HAND!? Melancholy!!??
Man Tuesday, 12 March 2024 01:05 PM
No more elections under Ranil though he himself believes his victory.
lkboy Tuesday, 12 March 2024 01:53 PM
This requires a referendum!
Stupid proportional system is what allowed Ranil to become President Tuesday, 12 March 2024 03:36 PM
If public want another Ranil getting into the Parliament they should be happy with Proportional system, if they don't want it they should do everything to overturn the the Parliament of tricksters.
Mervyn Tuesday, 12 March 2024 05:12 PM
Still there are some people who think the present president gave his personal money to stop the queues for fuel, gas and other items. It's was from borrowed money which makes us even more in debt. Any leader with brains could have handled it. We are still like paurpers where we are still in the bankruptcy stage. The money we have is kept in the kitty without paying back the loans. The difference was we had a irresponsible, stubborn, idiotic, dictator who surrounded himself with crooks and did not know shit of how to run a country. He was chosen by the people who were hoodwinked by a bunch of lies and of course the planned Easter bombing. We need a leader with a plan to devolope the country. Not sell all our assets to India and China and live happily. That's exactly what the present government is doing and still robbing our country. Most of the deals done are done in a non transparent way.
DOT Tuesday, 12 March 2024 06:13 PM
Dear Presidential candidates ; please wait for longer time!
Bernard Fernando Tuesday, 12 March 2024 07:28 PM
Any attempt to recognise the outdated FPP system through a ‘Mixed Member Electoral system’ would be an exercise in futility and absolutely redundant for voters, authorities and a small Country like Sri Lanka.The writer has proposed a simple method to appease the FPP camp with an MP assigned to their electorate.Also, the writer has proposed a genuine and fair Electoral system which guarantees ‘Equality of vote’, and Quality of their Representatives, so that another 'Aragalya' to ditch the '225' will not arise again.
He will learn a lesson when the Government changes. Tuesday, 12 March 2024 07:51 PM
DEALDASA SEEMS TO BE BEHIND ALL ATTEMPTS AT REVISING THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM IN SUPPORT OF RANIL.
Yamuna Ranaweera Tuesday, 12 March 2024 09:07 PM
Can we go back to the old system just like 60's and 80's
Bernard Fernando Wednesday, 13 March 2024 02:14 PM
The old Westminster 'First Past the Post'(FPP) system was replaced in 1978 by the more democratic and scientific PR system which too did not give equal value to votes due to manipulative constitutional provisions such as 22 bonus seats, Minimum 5% cut off limit for valid votes and pre-allocation of the No. of District seats based on the No. of District registered voters, to ensure so called 'Stable Govts.' Insult to injury happened with the replacement of 'Priority list' by 'Manape' where again the voters were asked to select 'Horses' from lists of 'Donkeys' who were corrupt henchmen and relatives of the Party leaders ! The writer's proposed package of 'System changes' to remedy this flawed Political and Electoral systems has already been published in the press over the years!
Patriot Tuesday, 12 March 2024 09:22 PM
It is the best method suited for Sri Lanka; mixed electoral system was proposed by great political analyst (VG) of the country in 2018 to bring real democracy to the country and as a partial solution to the prevailing corruption in the country
Bernard Fernando Wednesday, 13 March 2024 02:29 PM
In 2018, the Mixed Member Voting(MMV) system, to appease the so called FPP Camp demanding a MP to look after each Electorate was tested with the Island wide LG Election. As we know, this alien MMV system with adhoc ratios, ended up with a jumble of ‘over hang’ problems and complexities climaxing in a dramatic, (nearly threefold) increase in the total number of local Govt. members to 8,653 and causing a remarkable delay in releasing the final results. Ultimately, it led to an indefinite postponement of PC elections too!
S.H. Moulana Tuesday, 12 March 2024 10:17 PM
We want a true and open election unlike the one we saw recently in Pakistan!
TAX PAYER LAST 48 YEARS Tuesday, 12 March 2024 10:39 PM
45 MPs MORE THAN ENOUGH IN SRI LANKA PARLIAMENT.
Patcitz Wednesday, 13 March 2024 12:50 AM
Whatever the system changes introduced in terms of constitution, winning of Rajapaksas can not be averted, while losing Ranil can not be STOPPED.
Add comment
Comments will be edited (grammar, spelling and slang) and authorized at the discretion of Daily Mirror online. The website also has the right not to publish selected comments.
Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
US authorities are currently reviewing the manifest of every cargo aboard MV
On March 26, a couple arriving from Thailand was arrested with 88 live animal
According to villagers from Naula-Moragolla out of 105 families 80 can afford
Is the situation in Sri Lanka so grim that locals harbour hope that they coul
11 May 2024
11 May 2024
10 May 2024
09 May 2024
09 May 2024
