Changes to Elections Act imminent
Wijitha Nakkawita
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms presided over
by the Chief Government Whip and Urban Development and Sacred Area
Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has made a number of
recommendations to change some of the provisions of the Parliamentary
Elections Act No.1 of 1981.
Among some of the recommendations that were incorporated in an
amendment bill to be presented in Parliament were to seek transparency
in the finances of political parties.
The bill was challenged in the Supreme Court by the Muslim Congress
and some others including some Tamil National Alliance members who had
averred that some of the amendments were inconsistent with the
Constitution. But except for two matters the Supreme Court did not find
the proposed amendments inconsistent with the Constitution. While the SC
agreed that finances of political parties should be transparent it ruled
that the proposal to stop political parties having religious or ethnic
names was not consistent with the constitution.
Senior official sources said Minister Gunawardena who had chaired the
Parliamentary Select Committee for several years will introduce the
amendments arising out of the Supreme Court determination.
The amendments also sought to give recognition to political parties
that had been engaged in political activities like putting forward
candidates for parliamentary or provincial councils “for a continuous
period of at least four years prior to the date of making such
application or that out of at least two candidates nominated by such
party at least one was successful at the last parliamentary general
election or that out of at least five candidates nominated by such party
for five different Provincial Councils at least three were successful at
the last Provincial elections, held immediately preceding the date of
application of such party.”
Minister Gunawardena recommended that the National Identity Cards
should be produced by voters when they come to the polling stations to
exercise their franchise to prevent impersonation and ballot rigging.
The recommendation was accepted by the Elections Commissioner and
after it was implemented such illegal acts were minimized, sources also
said. |
