Category: News

The Ministry of Finance says that the Election Commission has requested funds of Rs. 8.5 billion for the presidential election.

A senior spokesperson to the finance ministry confirmed that steps are being taken to release these funds promptly.

A budget allocation of Rs. 10 billion has been set aside for the 2024 Presidential Election.

Meanwhile, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed the Ministry of Finance to release the necessary funds for the Election.

A senior official of the finance ministry confirmed that the President has directed that the funds be released without any delay.

The applications to cast postal votes must be handed over to District Returning Officers on or before August 05, the Election Commission announced.

Accordingly, all applications of the postal voting applicants must be forwarded to the relevant District Returning Officers through the District Election Office address.

The commission announced that the application forms to be completed for availing the postal voting facility can be obtained free of charge from the places where the voters’ lists are displayed, from the district election offices and also from the website of the Election Commission.

Furthermore, the Election Commission informs the general public that the applications must be received by the respective District Election Offices before 12.00 midnight on August 05, which is the last day of applications receipt and mere delivery of applications by post on that day is not a reason for acceptance of applications.

The applications received after the deadline will be rejected without consideration, as per the Election Commission.

The Election regulatory body further mentioned that the 2024 voters’ list must be displayed at the relevant government offices for the ease of the postal voters.

Thus, all certified voters’ lists related to all the electoral districts will be displayed at the following locations during usual office hours from July 26, 2024.

– All District Secretariats/ Kachcheris
– All Divisional Secretariats
– All Grama Niladhari Offices

Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has stepped down from his ministerial position.

Rajapakshe announced this decision while speaking at a press conference being held in Colombo today (29).

Dr. Rajapakshe says he will step down from his ministerial position, to run for the Office of President in the upcoming election.

At every presidential election , it is a common phenomenon to see a dozen of candidates or more. Still the contest narrows down to two main candidates and the third one becomes a distant third as per the results of the previous elections.

The candidate who polls more than 50 percent of votes is declared winner. However , it is a tricky situation in case no candidate secures more than 50 percent of votes. Then it leads to the counting of second and third preferences marked , by the election authorities.

This is how it is done , according to former Election Commission’s Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya and former member of the Commission M. M. Mohamed.

Let’s take for example ! There are five candidates named A, B, C D and E with the total number of valid votes polled by all of them being 100. Let’s assume that A has 40, B 35, C 15 , D six and E 4!

In this instance , the contest is between A and B as the candidates coming first and second . They are considered remaining candidates. The second or third preferences marked in their ballot papers are longer considered for counting in the second round because they are now the only remaining candidates whereas the others are eliminated from the contest .

As the next step ,ballot papers marked for C are considered one by one . In case , a voter has marked his first preference to C and second to A or B, it will be considered as a vote for A or B. Then , this ballot paper is inserted into the ballot box meant for A or B. The third preference marked in this ballot paper is not considered. Also a ballot paper marked for C as first choice bears second or third preferences to D or E, it will not also be considered because these two are not in the contest or are eliminated candidates.

Likewise, in the event of a voter marking first preference to C, second to D or E and third to A or B, it will be considered a vote to A or B as third preference .

In this manner , like ballot papers cast for C, the ones marked for D and E are checked for second and third preferences validly marked for A and B as the remaining candidates .

That way , let’s assume that A gets three additional votes with his total moving up to 43 and B ten more votes now with a total of 45. The grand total is now 88 . Out of it , B gets more than 50 percent and is declared President. If any of the two does not get additional votes after counting second and third preferences , the candidate ‘A’who has the highest number in the first round itself will be declared winner.

Also , if both of them get equal number of votes finally , the Election Commission can resort to a raffle draw to select the winner .

Voters can mark their preferences as 1, 2 or 3 in front of the symbols of the candidates of their choice .

The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s (SLPP) politburo is scheduled to meet today (29) to take the final decision regarding whether or not to field an SLPP candidate for the Presidential Election to be held on 21 September.

When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (28), SLPP General Secretary and Parliamentarian Sagara Kariyawasam said that the politburo would meet today. “We (SLPP) are yet to decide on a candidate for the Presidential Election. There are various rumours going around, but we will make the final decision at the politburo meeting.”

The Daily Morning also asked him about media reports that quoted former President and SLPP Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa of having said that they would support incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe if the Party decides. Kariyawasam, in response, said: “It is not true. Such reports have been planted by certain SLPP members who are loyal to the President.”

With the Presidential Election scheduled in September, opinions within the SLPP are divided. Some SLPP members have been expressing a willingness to support the SLPP-backed current President and United National Party Leader Wickremesinghe, while the others have expressed the view that the SLPP should field a separate candidate. There have been predictions that Government MP and businessman Dhammika Perera will be the SLPP’s Presidential candidate.

MP Namal Rajapaksa, who was unanimously elected as the SLPP’s national organiser in March, last week disputed the claim that the majority of their parliamentary group backed Ranil Wickremesinghe’s candidature at the forthcoming Presidential Election. He accused Wickremesinghe of causing rifts within the SLPP and stated that some in the party did not wish to back the presidential candidacy.

Several leading political parties have already declared their Presidential candidates. Among them are; Wickremesinghe, Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa, and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-led National People’s Power Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In addition, incumbent Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Opposition MP, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka have also declared their candidacy for the Presidential Election.