Sri Lanka's prime minister on Saturday announced the draft 20th Amendment to the constitution would be amended to ensure that the provincial council elections would take place by the end of next year.
The proposed Amendment seeks to hold all nine PC elections on the same day. Mr Wickremesinghe's comment came after the proposed Amendment faced widespread criticism from local bodies to election monitors who condemned the postponement of elections.
“We are ready to introduce a fresh clause to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution compelling the government to hold the provincial council elections before the end of next year,” Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying at an event in Kurunegala on Saturday.
“The 20A was prepared to ensure that elections to the nine PCs will be held under the mixed electoral system on a single day prior to the end of 2018," he added.
“It is essential to have a mixed electoral system so that there would be representatives to each constituency while the smaller parties will be represented as well. Constituencies are essential as myself and others such as late Lionel Jayatilake who represented this area came into Parliament in 1977 from a constituency."
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