A UNP MP has told ‘Divaina’ that the report would be defeated with a two-third majority.

However, party leaders, at a meeting yesterday (23) agreed to meet again during the course of the House debate on the report today and decide if a vote was required.

UNP, JO stands

The UNP parliamentary group that met under the patronage of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe on the same day decided to oppose the delimitation report.

Speaking to the media yesterday, JO’s Kanaka Herath said they would vote against the report as well.

According to him, the report has caused injustice to certain electoral divisions.

The government does not want to hold the election, he alleged, adding the House debate was intended to get the election postponed.

What the SLFP wants

However, minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told journalists the report could be passed even without a two-third majority.

If that happens, the speaker can appoint a committee, which could recommend that the report should be accepted.

Whoever opposes, the SLFP wants the PC polls held under the mixed system, he said.

The SLFP has 26 MPs in the government.

The six JVP MPs will support the delimitation report, said its Vijitha Herath yesterday.

Shameless attempt to put off PC polls - CaFFEMeanwhile, CaFFE says in a statement the government MPs are involved in a shameless attempt to prevent the parliamentary passage of the report in order to get the election put off.

It says even the parties that secretly backed the existing PC electoral system are now speaking good of the corrupt preferential voting system and trying to put off the election.

CaFFE charges the government that promised democracy and good governance is going against the basic requirement of holding elections on time.