Author: TELO Admin

As Sri Lanka nears its presidential election, Russian Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan has reaffirmed Russia’s stance of non-interference in the country’s domestic affairs. In a recent statement, Dzhagaryan said that it is solely up to the Sri Lankan people to decide their next president, and Russia will respect their choice, working with any elected leader.

The Ambassador also wished for a peaceful election and expressed confidence that the new government will uphold Sri Lanka’s policy of neutrality and continue fostering friendly relations with Russia.

He commended Sri Lanka for its balanced foreign policy, contrasting it with the demands often made by Western nations.

Postal voting for the 2024 Presidential election officially begins today, with over 700,000 eligible voters set to cast their ballots.

According to the Election Commission, postal votes can be marked today (September 4) at District Secretariats and Election Commission offices across the country.

For uniformed staff and civil workers attached to law enforcement and security offices, postal voting will be available on September 4 and 6. This includes Senior DIG and DIG Offices, SP and ASP Offices, Police Stations, Special Task Force (STF) Camps, Special Police Units, and VIP Security Divisions.

On September 5 and 6, postal voting will be conducted at Tri-Forces camps and all other government institutions.

In cases where voters are unable to cast their votes on the initial dates, the Election Commission has allocated additional days on September 11 and 12. Voters can visit the District Election Offices in the district where their workplace is located to mark their postal votes.

To participate in postal voting, voters must present proof of identity, such as a National Identity Card, valid Driving License, valid Passport, or a temporary Identity Card issued by the Election Commission.

A total of 736,589 applications were received for postal voting for this election. However, 24,268 of these applications were rejected, leaving 712,321 eligible voters to cast their postal votes.

Independent presidential candidate P. Ariyanethran unveiled his policy statement, presenting the Tamil National Common Structure for the upcoming election.

The manifesto explains that a Tamil common candidate was nominated this year due to the Tamil people’s seven-decade-long struggle for their rights, which has yet to yield satisfactory answers.

The manifesto calls for the constitution to recognize the independence and self-determination of the Tamil people as a solution to the national question.

It emphasizes moving forward as a united country while ensuring the diversity of Sri Lanka’s population.

The manifesto argues that the political aspirations of the Tamil people cannot be fulfilled under the current unitary state framework.

It asserts that the Tamil people should have the right to seek international support for their chosen solutions.

Arianethran calls for international investigations into genocide and war crimes.

The policy statement, which includes nine fundamental points, underscores the need for a new approach to address the longstanding issues faced by the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.

The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval, subject to adoption at the next meeting, to make necessary provisions for the recalling of nominations for Local Government (LG) Elections.

Speaking at the Cabinet press conference held yesterday (03), Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Bandula Gunawardena stated that it has been observed that over 900,000 voters who were included in the renewed 2024 voters’ list are at risk of losing the right to vote and the right for the candidacy as a result of the indefinite postponement of the 2023 LG Election.

Furthermore, he highlighted that although all the citizens above 18 years of age should be allowed to exercise their right to vote as per the Article 4 of the Constitution, voters who were included into the voters’ list in 2024 will lose the opportunity to vote in an election in which the acceptance of nominations were concluded in January 2023.

Additionally, the Cabinet Spokesman expressed that provision should be made for 25% youth representation in nominations submitted for local government bodies following the passing of Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act No 30 of 2023, and that, however, this provision has also been overlooked as the relevant nominations were called in 2023.

Thus, it has been decided to direct the legal draftsman to prepare a Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill including necessary provision after consulting the Election Commission, in a manner that empowers the election regulatory body to recall the nominations for the aforesaid election and to hold the election based on the updated 2024 voters’ list, in order to address the said issues.

However, the joint proposal submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers by Prime Minister as the Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils & Local Government and the Minister of Justice pertaining to the matter has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, subject to adoption at the next meeting.