A meeting to discuss the Local Authorities Elections Amendment Act within the purview of the newly introduced provisions for women’s representation in Local Government was organised by the Women and Media Collective, on Friday 6th of October 2017.
The new electoral system and the 25% quota allocation for women were discussed at length among women candidates, contesting for the elections, and women’s rights activists.
Gayani Premathilake, Legal Officer of the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government provided an in-depth analysis of the provisions and its impact on women in terms of the number of candidates and the demarcation of wards. According to news reports the Local Government elections are expected to be held in January 2018.