Severe weather disruptions have once again pushed Sri Lanka’s long-delayed Provincial Council elections into uncertainty, with officials now openly admitting that polls cannot be held before the New Year and may slip even further into mid-year.
Minister of State Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Chandana Abhayaratne has confirmed that the work of the Parliamentary Selection Committee appointed to examine the conduct of Provincial Council elections has been temporarily suspended due to adverse weather conditions caused by the recent cyclone.
According to the Minister, the committee was unable to meet as scheduled, delaying discussions and decisions related to the long-pending provincial council polls. He assured, however, that once the committee reconvenes, steps will be taken to fast-track the implementation of its recommendations.
The Minister also made it clear that holding the Provincial Council elections before the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year is not feasible under the current circumstances. Addressing speculation, he stressed that the government has no intention of conducting the elections in phases or dividing them into multiple stages. All future actions, he said, will strictly follow the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Selection Committee.
Meanwhile, election monitoring body People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections, known as Paffrel, has reiterated that approving the demarcation report is a legal necessity before any election can be conducted under the existing framework.
Paffrel Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi explained that demarcation is essential to implement the proposed electoral system, where 50 percent of members are elected from divisional-level constituencies and the remaining 50 percent from an additional list. Without completing this process, the election cannot proceed legally.
He further noted that due to these procedural requirements, there is a strong possibility that Provincial Council elections could be delayed until June or July.
All Provincial Councils in Sri Lanka have remained without elected representatives for several years, with their official terms having expired long ago, continuing to raise concerns about democratic representation at the provincial level.
