“Yuthukama” proposes US model electoral system

• ”Yuthukama” has handed over this proposal to the Select Committee which  has been appointed to look into electoral system changes

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

A proposal has been made to change the electoral system pertaining to Presidential election and thereby to introduce a system similar to that of the USA, a government MP told Parliament yesterday.  

MP Gevindu Kumaratunga said the organization “Yuthukama” had handed over this proposal to the Select Committee which has been appointed to look into electoral system changes.  

“This change has been proposed taking into consideration the results of the Presidential election in 2015. The winning candidate of this presidential election was able to become the head of state because he emerged winner in some polling divisions with an overall majority votes compared to his opponent,” the MP said.  

Mr. Kunaratunga also proposed a mixed system for the general election where 70 percent of candidates would be elected on constituency basis while ten percent of the MPs on national list. He also proposed an allocation of MPs from the parties which represented different communities.  

He also proposed the conversion of the Provincial Councils as ‘development coordination organizations’.