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Amendment to Local Authorities Elections Ordinance passed
View(s):Parliament yesterday approved an amendment to the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance laying down the procedure for the appointment of members to multi- member wards as well as to remove the inconsistencies between the Sinhala and English drafts of the Act.
The amendment bill was passed amidst objections from both the JVP and the JO group who said that such an amendment should not be rushed through the House without proper debate.
However, the Government said the amendment was necessary to hold the LG elections and had to be passed by the House yesterday. The Bill was put to vote and was passed with 137 members voting for and 56 against it.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that when a new electoral system is introduced, there are bound to be shortcomings but it was important to hold the polls and see how the law can be strengthened thereafter.