COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s ambitious plan to introduce radical electoral reforms through the 20 th. Constitutional Amendment (20A) seems doomed to failure with the his ally, the United National Party (UNP), insisting that parliamentary elections should precede electoral reforms.
The UNP’s stand was indicated to leaders of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, when they met him on Monday.
According to a press release issued by TPA leader Mano Ganeshan, the UNP does not think that the current parliament will be able to pass the 20A because it is deeply divided on the issue. The UNP, the SLFP, the parties of the minorities and the small parties have clashing views on electoral reforms which cannot be reconciled easily and quickly. Furthermore, the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government is in a minority in parliament. Therefore, parliament should be dissolved by month end and fresh elections called, Wickremesinghe feels.
The Prime Minister also said that the UNP would not like to face the No Confidence Motion against him and would want parliament to be dissolved and fresh polls ordered. According to the PM, President Maithripala Sirisena shares this view.
Sirisena’s Political Project
However, contrary to Wickremesinghe’s assertion, Sirisena seems to be engaged in consolidating his position in the existing parliament and not thinking of dissolving it. He is keen on implementing the 100-day agenda set out in his Presidential election manifesto, which includes electoral reforms.
Thanks to Sirisena’s efforts, his group’s presence in the Council of Ministers has increased from 7 to 36 since January 12, when the government was formed following the January 8 Presidential election which Sirisena won. The UNP’s presence is 35, and has remained more or less the same. Sirisena has been weaning away Mahinda Rajapaksa’s supporters by offering them Ministerial positions.
Presently, Sirisena’s SLFP has 15 Cabinet Ministers, Six State Ministers and 15 Deputy Ministers, while the UNP has 19 Cabinet Ministers, 6 State Ministers and 10 Deputy Ministers.
But the Sirisena group is still a minority in parliament as well as the SLFP parliamentary party. If Sirisena were to allow the No-Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, it is certain to the carried, and Wickremesinghe and his Council of Ministers will have to resign. Sirisena would then have to call upon the Leader of the Opposition and SLFP stalwart, Nimal Sripala de Silva, to form the government. But de Silva could, sooner eventually hand over the government and the SLFP to Rajapaksa group – a prospect Sirisena dreads.
Sirisena would thus like the current parliament to continue until the electoral reforms are passed so that when he goes for parliamentary elections by September as the Leader of the SLFP, he can claim that he has fulfilled his 100-Day programme.
He has got the 19A, which reduces the President’s powers, passed. He has taken legal action against many corrupt elements, and he has moved towards ethnic reconciliation. Only the 20A remains to be done.
