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Elections after reforms: President
President Maithripala Sirisena said today Parliament would be dissolved and a general election held after the proposed constitutional reforms were enacted.
He gave this assurance during a breakfast meeting at the president’s house with newspaper editors and media institution heads when asked whether Parliament would be dissolved on April 23.
The President said the date of elections would be decided no sooner the constitutional reforms were enacted. He said a general election would be definitely held because it was one of the main pledges given to the people during the presidential election campaign.
The President said the constitutional reforms would be finalised in about two weeks and would be presented to Parliament in April. He said the people and civil society groups would be given the opportunity to discuss the proposed reforms.
The President said views were being expressed that he was preventing the executive presidential powers being pruned. He said there was no truth in such views and that he himself had proposed that the term of the presidency be reduced to five years from the present six and the term of the Parliament be reduced to five years as well.
The President said excessive powers invested in the President especially through the 18th Amendment would be removed including the Presidential power to dissolve Parliament.
When asked about the electoral reforms he said it would be discussed within the next few weeks and underscored the fact that the new electoral system would be a mixed system and would do away with preferential voting.
However, he added that there were discussions and different opinions being expressed with regard to the number selected on the first-past-the-post system and through the proportional representation system.
The President said views were being expressed whether those selected on the proportional representation system should be at the national level or the district level and different views on the composition of the national list.
The president said he wants to form a national government for at least two years after the general election and therefore the campaigning should be carried out in a way that would lead to such a government.
When asked as to whether he would lead the SLFP campaign as its chairman, President Maitripala Sirisena said he would not participate at primary level campaigning at the election and highlighted the fact that he was also grateful to the UNP voters who voted for him and helped elect him as President.
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