One proposal says 140 seats should be filled under the first-past-the-post-system, 80 others at district level under the preferential voting system while 30 others will be appointed on the national list.

If all parties are agreeable to this, the existing number of 160 electoral divisions will be brought down to 140, for which the demarcations will be made by the elections department and the surveyor general.

Another proposal wants 125 MPs elected at electoral level, 100 others under the proportional representation system and 25 others on the national list.

Two more proposals want the allocations to be 150-75-25 and 160-70-20.

Elections chief Mahinda Deshapriya is due to submit a final set of proposals, comparing the allocations with the results of the last general elections, to political party leader on April 06.

When contacted, he told Sri Lanka Mirror that he has no powers to effect a change, or prepare, a new electoral system.

That is a responsibility of the legislature, he said, adding that he is ready to hold a general election any time.