Names of members elected to Local Government bodies in 10 districts have been published by the Department of Government Printing.The names published through Extraordinary Gazette No. 2061/42-9 on March 9 2018 under the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance (Chapter 262), gives details for the districts of; Hambantota, Killinochchi, Matara, Puttalam, Moneragala, Anuradhapura, Ratnapura, Kaluthara, Matale and Polonnaruwa.
Elections Secretariat sources revealed that they have forwarded all names to the Department of Government Printing and that they would publish them in due course.The Department needs to publish the names to 15 more districts.
The Local Government elections which were held on February 10 had 340 Local Bodies electing members to the councils. The gazetting of names however had been delayed due to 15 councils not being able to fulfil the 25 percent female quota in these bodies.
The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) however has pointed out that political parties and independent groups have appointed close to 1,991 women to office making the overall female member percentage 29, in all local bodies across the country. Political parties fielded 17,128 female candidates as a result of the quota this year. “The Elections Commission has gazetted a list of 2,526 female local Councillors. Of the women who contested wards, 535 were returned. The UNP has appointed the highest number of women from the Additional List,” stated CaFFE. This increase of 29 percent from the previous 1 percent has been seen as an overall improvement in female representation in Local Government and thus has prompted the Elections Commission to go ahead with the gazetting of names to the 15 problematic councils even without their quota being fulfilled.
