Election Commission (EC) Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake told the Sunday Observer yesterday that the Rs. 10 billion budget allocated by the Government will suffice to cover the costs of ballot papers and other related expenses for the upcoming Presidential Election.
Rathnayake was responding to questions from the Sunday Observer regarding concerns raised by various stakeholders and members of certain organisations who feared that election expenses might exceed the budget due to the increased number of Presidential candidates.
The EC has accepted the nominations of all 39 Presidential candidates who submitted their nominations on August 15 for the 2024 Presidential Election. Among them, 22 candidates are from recognised political parties, one from another party, and 16 are Independent candidates.
Rathnayake said that the EC will soon impose a cap on election campaign spending. For the first time in the country’s history, candidates for the upcoming Presidential Election will be required to declare their campaign expenditure.
“The candidates must disclose their funding sources within 21 days after the President-elect are announced by the Commission, as mandated by the Election Expenditure Act of 2023, which will be fully enforced this time, “said Rathnayake. This Act was not applied last year due to the postponement of elections.
When asked about the likely expenditure ceiling to be set per voter, Rathnayake said that the Commission had discussed it with candidates on Friday.
“Some candidates said it should be 50 cents, while others proposed Rs. 1,000 per voter,” he said. “The EC will, therefore, set a price cap above 50 cents for election campaign financing,” he said.
