The Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) has received only two complaints regarding inaccuracies in the mandatory campaign income and expenditure reports submitted by candidates for the November 2024 General Election, Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake has said.
Of the 8,821 candidates who contested the election, 1,064 failed to submit their reports, prompting the Commission to work with the police to initiate legal action, Ratnayake said.
“We are only taking action against those who have not submitted their reports. We cannot act against candidates who have submitted inaccurate reports,” he added.
He called upon civil society organisations and political parties to play a more active role in scrutinising expense reports.
“These reports are publicly accessible. If civil society organisations and political parties identify discrepancies, they should take action. So far, we have received only two complaints from Jaffna. I hope more organisations and parties will take a proactive approach, particularly ahead of the upcoming local council elections,” Ratnayake said.
He also stressed the urgency of holding the long-overdue Local Council elections, which have now been delayed for 22 months, and added the ECSL’s readiness to conduct them as soon as the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government makes the announcement.
