Category: Breaking News

The Election Commission (EC) has taken steps to return the bail deposits made by recognised political parties and independent groups for the Local Government (LG) Elections, which were scheduled to be held in 2023 but were later postponed indefinitely.

The EC’s decision follows the passage of the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Act, No. 01 of 2025 in the Parliament.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that the said Act provides for the return of bail deposits made by political parties and independent groups for the LG Elections in 2023.

“To receive the relevant deposits, political parties and independent groups must submit the original receipt issued by the EC at the time of the deposit, along with a letter requesting the return of the bail deposits to the relevant District Secretariat on or before 28 February 2025,” he explained.

He said that the respective District Secretariats would take steps to return the bail deposits to the political parties and independent groups that submit the required documents on time.

“The EC received an approximate sum of Rs. 18 million as bail deposits, which is currently held in the Government’s bank account. Some parties made bail deposits on behalf of all their candidates, and some others did so at the district level. We will return the deposits once the relevant submissions are made,” he said.

The LG Elections were initially scheduled for March 2023, but the Finance Ministry, along with the General Treasury, had not released the required funds to the EC. As a result, the EC rescheduled the Elections to April 2023. However, since the funds were not released by that time either, the EC was forced to postpone it indefinitely.

Speaker of the Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne on Monday (17) endorsed the certificate on the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill, which enables the cancellation of the nominations called for the LG Elections in 2023. The Bill was passed in the Parliament with a special majority, without amendments.

Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said that the government had no intention of cancelling the wind energy project in Mannar with Adani Green Energy and said the company withdrew from the project after failing to reach an agreement on providing electricity at the lowest possible rate.

Last week, Adani Green Energy, a subsidiary of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s Adani Group, decided to withdraw from its wind energy project in Mannar, Sri Lanka.

When journalists questioned the Minister about Adani Group’s decision to pull out, Jayatissa clarified that the government was exploring alternatives to ensure citizens receive energy at a reasonable price, whether through local companies or foreign investors.

“The government has been working to lower electricity rates since we took office. At a recent Cabinet meeting, we only discussed reducing the unit rate from USD 0.0826 and not cancelling the project. We even tried to negotiate for a lower rate similar to the rates that Adani offers in India. Unfortunately, we couldn’t come to an agreement, which is one of the main reasons why Adani decided to leave,” the Minister said.

He said another company has agreed to provide electricity at a rate lower than Adani’s.

“Some critics claim that foreign investors are leaving the country after we came into power, but this is not the case. Despite one investor leaving, there are still opportunities for more investors to come to Sri Lanka and invest at a reasonable price”, Minister Jayatissa said.

When asked whether the government is willing to re-engage with the Adani Group for further discussions, the Minister said that he cannot not comment on the matter at this time.

He said that the government will need to assess how much Adani is willing to lower the price before considering further negotiations.

Sri Lanka’s budgeted expenditure for 2025 will likely lead to a wider fiscal deficit and slower-than-expected fiscal consolidation, Moody’s Ratings said on Tuesday, a day after the island nation unveiled its budget.

Sri Lanka aims to transform its crisis-hit economy to prepare to resume debt repayments from 2028, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Monday while announcing the budget which is seen as a key step towards returning the country to durable, long-term growth.

The budget is mostly in line with targets set under a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, including a key 2.3% primary account surplus goal.

Expenditure is estimated at 21.8% of GDP as Sri Lanka directs more resources towards welfare and infrastructure development, analysts said, while revenue will be 15.1% of GDP.

The budget has set a deficit target of 6.7% of GDP, which falls short of a 5.2% goal for 2025 preferred by the IMF.
“The budget underscores the challenge that Sri Lanka’s fiscal authorities will continue to face because of its still weak debt affordability, still narrow revenue base, and underlying social constraints,” said Christian Fang, vice president – senior analyst at Moody’s Ratings.

Sri Lanka is aiming to grow 5% this year, Dissanayake told parliament, emphasising the need to support small businesses and key economic sectors such as tourism and tea to put the island nation’s economy on a sustainable recovery.

Sri Lanka’s economy went into freefall three years ago after running precariously low on dollar reserves, leaving it unable to afford essentials such as fuel, medicine and cooking gas.

Helped by the IMF bailout secured in March 2023, the island’s economy has partly recovered and completed a $25 billion debt restructuring with bilateral creditors and bondholders last December.

While thanking President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for allocating Rs. 100 million in this year’s budget for the development of the Jaffna Library’s infrastructure, Geethanath Cassilingam, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Jaffna District Organizer, suggested using the part of the funds to digitize the library’s collection.

Expressing his remarks over the Budget 2025, Cassilingam emphasized that going digital would help protect priceless books from damage, theft, or disasters like the past fire that destroyed many valuable works.

He also stressed the importance of providing digital research tools for students, ensuring they have access to modern resources needed for success.

“A future library should not only preserve books but also offer modern digital resources, interactive learning spaces, virtual reality for education, and collaborative areas for students. Other South Asian countries have already adopted such measures to prepare their students for the future,” Cassilingam stated.

He further said that digitizing the Jaffna Library would be a vital step in both preserving cultural heritage and equipping students for the digital age.

The Election Commission (EC) stated that it will set the date for the Local Government (LG) Elections, while considering, as far as possible, the concerns raised by various parties regarding the timeline.

Political parties representing the Opposition have been urging the EC to postpone the LG Elections, slated to be held in April, citing reasons such as the upcoming General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (O/L) Examination and the Parliamentary debate on the 2025 Budget.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that while some parties are calling for the LG Elections to be held earlier and others later, the EC would meet and make a final decision on the date for the same. He added that in making the decision, the EC would take into account factors such as the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and the O/L Exam. However, he said that it would not be possible to consider every individual circumstance when deciding on a date.

“Some say that the O/L Examination will be held, which is true. Others point to the Parliamentary debate on the Budget, and there will also be concerns about the Vesak festival. If we are to consider all these factors, we will not be able to hold the LG Elections at all this year. Instead, we will consider the concerns of all parties to the fullest extent possible and set a date accordingly,” he said.

Meanwhile, the EC convened yesterday (18) to discuss the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Act, No. 01 of 2025. However, the EC is yet to receive the official gazette notification regarding the passing of the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill. The relevant gazette notification is expected to be issued by the Ministry of LG. The EC stated that the date for the elections will be determined once the Act is published in the government gazette. A spokesperson confirmed that the date and time for the elections will be announced after a thorough review of the relevant Act.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has meanwhile requested the EC to commence the LG Elections process after the final vote on the 2025 Budget, which is scheduled for 21 March. Premadasa revealed this while addressing the media after a meeting between Opposition political party representatives and the EC yesterday. He emphasised that the 66 Parliamentarians representing the Opposition and various parties are committed to fulfilling their legislative duties during the Budget process.

“We presented to the EC the matter of initiating the Elections related process after 21 March,” he said, adding: “As soon as the final vote on the Budget concludes on 21 March, the Elections related process could begin.”

Speaker of the Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne on Monday (17), endorsed the certificate on the Bill, which enables the cancellation of the nominations called for the LG Elections in 2023. The Bill was passed in the Parliament with a special majority, without amendments.

The LG Elections were initially scheduled for March 2023, but the Finance Ministry, along with the general Treasury, had not released the required funds to the EC. As a result, the EC rescheduled the Elections to April 2023. However, since the funds were not released by that time either, the EC was forced to postpone it indefinitely. Recently, the Supreme Court issued a ruling, directing the EC to schedule the LG Elections as soon as possible. Following the passage of this new Act, the EC is required to announce the date for calling nominations, which should be a date within three months since the passage of the Act.

The Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne has endorsed the certificate on the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill today (Feb 17) in Parliament, in accordance with Article 79 of the Constitution.

The Second Reading debate related to the Bill was held today from 2.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. and was passed in Parliament with a special majority, without amendments.

The Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill was presented to the Parliament on the 09th of January 2025 for its First Reading.

Accordingly, this Bill shall come into effect as the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Act No. 01 of 2025.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has held a meeting with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat on Sunday (16).

“A productive interaction with FM Vijitha Herath on sidelines of 8th Indian Ocean Conference.”

“Took stock of our wide-ranging cooperation. Committed to the economic recovery and progress of Sri Lanka,” Jaishankar posted on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter).

The eighth Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) is being held in Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman, under the theme ‘Voyage to New Horizons of Maritime Partnership.’

Earlier today (16) , Indian External Affairs Minister also met with former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the sidelines of the conference.

The eighth edition of the conference addresses ways to enhance maritime partnerships, improve trade links, support sustainable development and issues related to maritime security and ensure freedom of navigation, in addition to benefiting from modern technology to enhance port security and governance.

The Indian Ocean Conference is a flagship consultative forum for countries in the Indian Ocean region, organized annually by the Ministry of External Affairs of India, in association with the India Foundation