President to slash number of LG members
President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that a referendum will be called to decide on the parliamentary electoral system if the Select Committee which is proposed to be established fails to reach a decision on the matter by July next year.
He made this observation during a discussion with a group of professionals held at the Presidential Secretariat today (09).
The President said that the desired changes to the political system should be brought about in accordance with the aspirations of the people, as the majority of the population in the country rejects the existing political system. He added that accordingly, he expects to reduce the number of council members of local authorities (Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas) from 8000 to 4000 and to implement the Jana Sabha system, before the next election.