Committee weighs 25% quota for women in Provincial Councils | Daily FT

A Parliamentary Select Committee studying the electoral system for Provincial Council elections has discussed proposals to legally guarantee that women account for at least 25% of the total membership of Provincial Councils, as part of a broader package of electoral reforms aime…

A Parliamentary Select Committee studying the electoral system for Provincial Council elections has discussed proposals to legally guarantee that women account for at least 25% of the total membership of Provincial Councils, as part of a broader package of electoral reforms aimed at improving the representation of women and youth. According to a Parliament statement, the proposal was discussed during a meeting between the Select Committee and the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, which focused on reforms to ensure more effective representation of women and young people under the future Provincial Council electoral system. The meeting was chaired by Select Committee Chairman and Minister Vijitha Herath, while the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus was led by its Chairperson and Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj. The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus argued that women’s representation should be guaranteed not only through candidate lists but also in the overall composition of Provincial Councils. Participants discussed mechanisms to ensure women hold at least 25%, or alternatively one-third (33%), of council seats. Among the other proposals considered were making the inclusion of women and youth mandatory in candidate lists if the previous proportional representation system is reintroduced, removing legal impediments relating to constituency delimitation to facilitate a mixed electoral system, and introducing constituencies reserved for women. The meeting also reviewed ways of improving women’s representation under the preferential voting system, recommendations submitted by the Election Commission and international experience in electoral design. Participants further stressed the need to strengthen youth representation under any revised electoral framework. The need to hold the long-delayed Provincial Council elections without further postponement was also emphasised. Parliament said the proposals and views presented during the discussion would be taken into consideration when the Select Committee prepares its final report and recommendations on the future electoral system for Provincial Council elections.