Act of Parliament · As enacted
Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act 2016
Official English translation. Where it differs from the Sinhala or Tamil text, the Act itself says which text prevails.
Official translationFrom Department of Government Printing, unchanged
s 1Short title
This Act may be cited as the Local Authorities
Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 1 of 2016.
s 2Insertion of new section 27F in (Chapter 262)
The following new section is hereby inserted immediately after section 27E of the Local Authorities
Elections Ordinance (Chapter 262) (hereinafter referred to as the “principal enactment”) and shall have effect as section 27F of that enactment:—
27F. (1) The total number of members of each local authority as determined by the Minister by Order made under subsection (1) of section 5 of the Municipal Councils Ordinance (Chapter 252), under subsection (1) of section 5 of the
Urban Councils Ordinance (Chapter 255) or under subsection (1) of section 4 of the
Pradeshiya Sabhas Act, No. 15 of 1987 shall be further increased by one third of such total number of members :
Provided that, where the number constituting a fourth of the total of the number of members is an integer and fraction, the integer shall be deemed to be the number which shall constitute a fourth of the total number of such members.
“Increasing the total number of members.
The number so increased under subsection (1), as determined by the Minister by Order made under section 3c of this
Ordinance shall form the list of women candidates to be submitted by each recognized political party or any group of persons
(hereinafter referred to as the “independent group”) contesting at the elections.
The number so increased under subsection (1) shall be published in the Gazette by Order made by the Minister.”.
s 3Amendment of section 28 of the principal enactment
Section 28 of the principal enactment is hereby amended as follows:—
in subsection (2) of that section, by the substitution for the words commencing from “Any recognized political party” and ending with the words “setting out the names:-”, of the following:-
“Any recognized political party or any independent group shall, for the purpose of election as members of any local authority and for the returning of women members of such local authority, submit two nomination papers containing the lists of candidates in respect of all wards of such local authority. One of the two nomination papers submitted by each recognized political party or independent group in respect of all wards of any local authority shall consist of a list of names of candidates for the purpose of election as members of such local authority, substantially in the Form set out in the First Schedule, setting out the names:-”;
by the renumbering of subsections (2A), (2B) and (2C) of that section, respectively as (2C), (2D) and
of that section;
by the insertion of the following new subsection (2A)
immediately after the proviso to subsection (2) of that section:-
“(2A) The other nomination paper in respect of all wards of any local authority referred to in subsection (2) of this section shall consist of a list of names of such number of women candidates ranked in order of priority.”;
by numbering the paragraph following the proviso to subsection (2) as (2B) of that section.
s 4Insertion of new section 65AA in the principal enactment
The following new section is hereby inserted immediately after section 65A of the principal enactment and shall have effect as section 65AA of that enactment:—
65AA. In the apportionment, in accordance with the order of priority of ranking, of the number of women members to be returned from all the wards of such local authority area among the recognized political parties and independent groups, as referred to in section 28(2A), the Commissioner of Elections shall take into consideration the number of valid votes polled by each recognized political party and independent group in all the wards of such local authority area, and the method of apportionment set out in Article 99A of the
Constitution of the Democratic Socialist
Republic of Sri Lanka shall, mutatis mutandis, apply thereto:
Provided that, the Commissioner of
Elections shall not require the Secretary of any recognized political party or group leader of any independent group to make any nomination of persons in addition to the persons already nominated under section 28 nor shall the Secretary or group leader, as the case may be, submit any list making any nomination.”.
“Declartion of women members to be returned.
s 5Amendment section 66 of the principal enactment
Section 66 of the principal enactment is hereby amended in subsection (1) of that section by the substitution for the words and figure “returned under section 65A of this
Ordinance” of the words and figures “returned under section 65A and section 65AA of this Ordinance.”.
s 6Amendment of section 66A of the principal enactment
Section 66A of the principal enactment is hereby amended in subsection (1) thereof as follows:—
in paragraph (b), of that subsection—
by the substitution for the words and figure
“returned under section 65A of this” of the words and figures “returned under section 65A and 65AA of this”;
by the substitution for the words
“Ordinance to fill such vacancy.” of the words “Ordinance to fill such vacancy; or;
by the addition of the following new paragraph immediately after paragraph (b) of that subsection:—
“(c)
who is returned as a woman member under the provisions of section 65AA of this Ordinance, declare returned within thirty days of the occurrence of the vacancy, the woman candidate whose name appears next on the priority ranking of the other nomination paper submitted by the respective recognized political party or independent group, as the case may be, in terms of subsection (2A) of section 28.”.
s 7Sinhala text to prevail in case of inconsistency
In the event of any inconsistency between the Sinhala and the Tamil texts of this Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail.