The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has recommended that all electoral laws in Sri Lanka should be consolidated into one electoral code and should be proposed to the Parliamentary Select Committee on electoral law reforms to make necessary amendments in this regard.
The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus chaired by State Minister Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle, in Parliament.
The MPs of Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus also agreed to propose a uniform electoral system for all elections in Sri Lanka (local, provincial, and national levels) with a uniform quota for women’s representation
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus is proposing to the Parliamentary Select Committee on electoral law reforms to introduce specific legal provisions relating to the prevention of violence in elections, and more specifically violence against women in elections.
Quotas for women
The Caucus is also proposed to introduce legislation to strictly implement quotas for women in political party structures to create an enabling environment for women to be involved in governance.
In addition, the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has recommended regulations and accountability on campaign financing to ensure equal opportunities for participation.
The Caucus will also propose to increase the number of nominations for women to at least 30% in Parliamentary, Provincial Council and Local Government elections, as well as to ensure 50% representation of women in national lists of all parties.
The meeting was attended by members of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus MPs Manjula Dissanayake, Geetha Kumarasinghe, Muditha Prishanthi, Diana Gamage and Secretary to the Caucus, Deputy Secretary General of Parliament and Chief of Staff Kushani Rohanadeera.
