Cabinet approval to draft laws to amend Sri Lanka’s electoral system

The Cabinet of Ministers have approved a proposal to draft the necessary laws to amend the electoral system to elect 160 Members of Parliament directly from the voters of the respective constituencies, also known as the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system, and for the remaining 65 MPs to be elected according to the proportional voting system at the national or provincial level.

The need to revise the current electoral system has been identified in order to meet the objectives of the Election Expenses Regulation Act No. 3 of 2023 and to achieve a fully democratic election, the Government Information Department said. 

Accordingly, a Cabinet sub-committee was appointed to ask the views of all party leaders and other relevant parties representing the Parliament and submit a report to the Cabinet with relevant recommendations. 

Suggestions have been presented to the committee to elect 160 Members of Parliament directly from the voters of the respective constituencies and the remaining 65 Members of Parliament to be elected at the national or provincial level according to the proportional voting system and the agreement of the majority has been received for this, the statement said. 

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal submitted by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms to advise the Legal Draftsman to draft the necessary laws taking into account the recommendations made by the committee appointed under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister to amend the electoral system.