Deputy Minister Ratna Gamage has declared that there is no need for Provincial Councils in Sri Lanka at present, insisting that the existing governing bodies are sufficient.
“Provincial Councils! Do we need one? No. There is a President. There is a Cabinet. There is a Parliament. There are Pradeshiya Sabhas. There is no need for Provincial Councils. Let it go,” Gamage said, responding to a question from the media.
The last Provincial Council election in the country was held in September 2014 for the Uva Province. Prior to that, the Northern Provincial Council went to the polls in 2013, followed by the Central, Northwestern, and North Central Councils the same year. Elections for the Sabaragamuwa, Eastern, and Northern Provincial Councils were held in 2012, while the Western and Southern Provincial Councils were last elected in 2014.
Since the term of office for Provincial Councils is five years, all nine councils became inactive by 2018 due to the lack of elections. Their powers have since been transferred to the Governors, leaving the Provincial Council system dormant for nearly a decade.
