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.