May 27, Colombo (LNW): The Election Commission has issued a final warning to all Local Government election candidates, urging strict compliance with the statutory requirement to disclose campaign expenditures.
Candidates who fail to meet the deadline will face legal consequences, in accordance with the Election Expenditure Regulation Act No. 03 of 2023.
The Commission’s Chairman, R.M.A.L. Rathnayake, confirmed that all candidates and affiliated political parties must submit a complete financial statement outlining campaign expenses within 21 days following the conclusion of the poll.
This includes those who incurred no costs, who are nevertheless required to submit a formal declaration stating as much.
All declarations must be handed in to the appropriate Returning Officers by midnight tonight. To facilitate this process, the Election Commission has extended operating hours of all district election offices and has launched an official online portal, allowing candidates to file digitally if physical submission is not feasible.
Rathnayake emphasised that the deadline is final, with no extensions permitted under any circumstance. He warned that failure to comply would result in the names of defaulters being immediately referred to local police authorities.
Offending candidates will then be prosecuted in line with the provisions laid out in the election law.
