Lanka minority parties cry foul over local election reforms

Sri Lanka's Minority Tamil and Muslim parties were united today to protest against the proposed electoral reforms on holding the elections for local councils in the island nation.
Leaders of minority parties in and out of parliament and those in government and opposition today urged the government to hold back the reforms envisaged.
Elections for over 300 local councils have been on hold since 2015 due to the need to reform the system with a mixture of the first past and proportional representation.
The Tamil and Muslim parties feel that the current system of proportional representation would be more suited to ensure their representation.

"We have to look at the first past the post system unfavourably because it will reduce our chances," said Rauff Hakeem, the leader of the Muslim Congress and the Minister of Urban Development.
"We urge the local government minister to delay the gazetting of the delimitation commission report. The democracy is not about just holding elections. There needs to be justice in the system proposed," said Mano Ganesan, the leader of the Western Peoples Front, a minority Tamil party, and the Minister of National Integration and Languages.

The government has come under criticism from opposition for postponing the election.
The Joint Opposition group backing former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said the government fears losing to Rajapaksa in the election.

The government hopes to hold the election not later than May, Chairman of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya said.