PAFFREL asks if govt. ready for LG polls if economic issues resolved by some party

People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) has questioned the government whether it was ready to conduct the Local Government election if some party was ready to provide a solution to the financial constraint that the government was claiming as the main obstacle to holding the election.

PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said in a letter to the Prime Minister that it was evident that the government was attempting to indefinitely postpone the LG polls without attributing any legal reasons.

He said the government was attempting to use progressive electoral reforms as a tool to postpone the LG polls at this juncture.

Hettiarachchi inquired from the Prime Minister as the subject minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government, what would be the new electoral system after reducing the number of wards and members through the ongoing delimitation process.

He also asked whether the youth and women quota would be allocated as 25% each when the number of members of Local bodies were reduced by 50% and whether the People's Council would be incorporated into this. (Ajith Siriwardana)