The Election Commission says it is ready to hold Provincial Council elections at any time, provided Parliament first puts in place the necessary legal framework to facilitate the polls.
The Commission made its position clear at a recent meeting of the Parliamentary Select Committee, which has been appointed to examine the electoral system under which Provincial Council elections should be held and to present its recommendations to Parliament.
The Attorney General’s Department has also submitted its observations to the Committee, outlining the existing legal impediments that stand in the way of holding the elections and the measures that would be required to address them.
Both the Election Commission and the Attorney General’s Department had been asked to provide their input to the Select Committee as part of its consultations on the matter.
The meeting was held in Parliament under the chairmanship of Minister Vijitha Herath.
Deputy Ministers Arun Hemachandra, Sunil Watagala and Muneer Mulafer attended, along with Members of Parliament Mano Ganesan, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, Darmapriya Wijesinghe, Samanmalee Gunasinghe and Lakshman Nipunarachchi.