By Manjula Fernando and Rajmi Manatunga
Published January 30th 2003 in Sri Lanka Daily News
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will appoint a committee chaired by Power and Energy Minister Karu Jayasuriya to define the role of the proposed Parliamentary Sub-Committee on electoral reforms shortly.
At the weekly Cabinet press briefing yesterday, Prof.G.L.Peiris said electoral reforms are a timely need and the majority of people expect a change in the electoral system.
"The Prime Minister has already initiated a dialogue with leaders of all the political parties represented in Parliament and several issues have already been identified with regard to electoral reforms," he said.
This committee which will consist of eight ministers including Prof.G.L.Peiris is expected to draft the recommendations on the terms of reference for the Parliament Sub Committee which will be appointed by the government in the near future to explore the possibilities of reforming the current electoral system. The Parliament Sub Committee which will be represented by all government and opposition parties is required to make recommendations on a most suitable electoral system for the country.
They will deliberate whether to retain the current system of proportional representation or bring in the former first past the post system or introduce a combination of the two.
In addition it will be expected to define the minimum qualifications of Members of Parliament as well as the number of Members in the Parliament. A mechanism for candidates who have been obtained a good number of votes but who have unsuccessful in particular constituencies to sit in Parliament is also to be considered. Among the other issues to be taken in to deliberation are bi-elections, the question of reserved constituencies, multi-member constituencies and cut off points.
"Whether a second chamber such as the senate we had in the Parliament until the late 1950's, should be brought into the system and the matters relating to the National Identity card in order to minimise election abuses will also be taken into consideration."
Proceedings with regard to the delimitation commission is also among the priority areas to be discussed in the proposed Parliament sub-committee.
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.