E-Paper
Sri Lanka set to elect new Parliament
Many polls were fought in Sri Lanka in the last couple of years; local, provincial, and municipal. In January the Presidential election drama attracted worldwide media attention.
Many polls were fought in Sri Lanka in the last couple of years; local, provincial, and municipal. In January the Presidential election drama attracted worldwide media attention. Now, it’s time to elect a new Parliament. A 225-member national legislature where 196 are elected and the rest nominated for six years.
Thursday’s election could yield a new PM. A ceremonial head in country where Presidency has the power to do everything other then – as famously said by President JR Jayawardene after United National Party won a brute majority and introduced executive presidency in 1978 – change a woman to a man and vice-versa.
Even if the ordinary Sri Lankan is weary of elections, politicians seem to revel in them like rowdy children at a birthday bash.
More than 7600 of them from 36 political groups have led a hard, often unscrupulous, campaign against their political opponents both within and outside their parties.
Sri Lanka follows the preferential system of voting, which means each constituency will have a number of candidates from each party. The one who gets the highest number of votes – in preference over all other candidates – will be elected as MP.
It’s like the Congress and the BJP putting up 15 candidates each for the South Delhi constituency; a Congress candidate has to fight against his own party’s 14 other aspirants as well as BJP’s 15.
Whatever else it does for democracy, the system ensures no-holds-barred political wrestling bouts on the streets, at rallies and through whichever means available at hand.
Candidates have spent millions of Sri Lankan rupees for campaigning – most of it violating the helpless norms of the Election Department.
Colombo, for one, looks covered in a patch-work of illegal cut-outs and posters.
The local Sunday Times newspaper quoted RK Tennakoon, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections, as saying that compared to the Presidential elections, there had been a marked increase in the abuse of state property.
It added: ``…Commissioner of Elections has become the laughing stock…He is unable to ensure directives to the police chief…the latter in turn appear helpless against political pressure.’’
