Understanding PR System And Call For Reforms

2/3 Majority - A non reality?

- KKS Perera

A total of 225 lawmakers will comprise the next parliament, 196 of whom will be elected through popular vote while the remaining 29 will be picked from the so-called National List.

Eight months after a crucial presidential election, Sri Lanka will go to Parliamentary polls on August 5 to elect their ‘honorable’ representatives to the 17th parliament, and 9th under PR system. Only a few have a comprehensive knowledge of the Proportional Representative electoral process. 196 elected through popular vote plus 29 from the National List will comprise a total of 225 lawmakers. There are only 160 electorates, but we elect another 36 to make it 196 elected members. The 36 seats were allocated to the nine provinces, four each, as apportioned by a delimitation commission, as per article 95 of the constitution. The 36 seats are divided among the electoral district, the current applicable numbers as given. Kandy, Matale, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Jaffna, Galle, Matara, Gampaha and Kalutara districts one each, Vanni three and the rest two each.

Process through which the 196 are elected is as follows: The 25 administrative districts in the Island are reduced to 22, because the thinly populated Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Mannar administrative districts are taken as one and called Vanni electoral district, while the Jaffna consists of the Jaffna and Kilinochchi administrative districts.