Is Govt. ready to hold LG polls if economic issue is resolved by some party: PAFFREL

By Ajith Siriwardana  

People’s Action for Free & 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 any legal  basis. 

 
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 ongoing  delimitation process.  

He also asked whether youth and women quota would be  allocated as 25 per cent each when the number of members of Local bodies  were reduced by 50 per cent and whether the People’s Council would be  incorporated into this.