News
PC powers to vest in House during dissolution
A twentieth amendment to the Constitution which the Government wants to introduce seeks to vest in Parliament the powers of a Provincial Council when it stands dissolved.
The 20th Amendment will also enable all Provincial Council elections to be held on the same date and for Parliament to determine the date of dissolution of all PCs.
This amendment will be made by the insertion of a new Article 154DD to the Constitution immediately after Article 154D. The amendment states, “the election of members to all Provincial Councils shall be held on the same date and Parliament shall determine the date on which all the Provincial Councils shall stand dissolved; provided specified date shall not be later than the expiration of the term of the last constituted Provincial Council.”
It will also insert a new Article immediately after Article 154E of the Constitution to enable Parliament to exercise the powers of a Provincial Council between the time of its dissolution and election of a new council. Along with the Constitutional amendment, also amended will be the 1988 PC Elections Act’s Section 10 which specifies the nomination period. The term of the Eastern, North Central and Sabaragamua PCs will end in September this year, while the terms of the Northern, Central and North Western Provincial Councils end next year.
The terms of the Uva, Southern and Western provinces will end in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Campaign For Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) charged that the Government was planning to postpone the PC polls indefinitely in the same manner it had postponed local council elections.
Under the existing law, it is mandatory to hold elections when a PC’s five-year term ends.