By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): The Election Commission has requested Rs11 billion from the finance ministry to get ready for the arrangements to hold the presidential government elections next year.
This request has been made to the finance ministry secretary in writing by the Election Commission, a high official of the finance ministry disclosed.
The Election Commission (EC) has requested the Ministry of Finance to allocate Rs. 11 billion from the Budget for the year 2024 for the Presidential Election to be held next year (2024).
EC Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that it is a general practice for the EC to request the Finance Ministry to allocate funds from the budget for a particular year if an election is scheduled to be held that year.
Meanwhile the Supreme Court has not yet given a judgement on several cases filed by opposition representatives relating to postponement of local government elections. The hearing of these cases and the issuance of a judgement had been postponed to November 21.
A sum of Rs 9 billion has been estimated for the total expenditure for the election, the commission pointed out adding that it needs about Rs 2.2 billion till the date of the local poll for preliminary spending.
The Balance Rs 6.8 billion is required for fuel, electricity, printing and other relevant services one and half months after the completion of elections, the election commission added.
The government has already spent a massive sum of public money amounting to Rs1 billion for preliminary activities of the postponed local government elections scheduled to be held on April 25 2023 finance ministry records showed.
The cost for the Election Commission to conduct the elections estimated at just over Rs. 9 billion and the printing cost alone was Rs.1.827 billion out of which a sum of Rs.1 billion has already been spent,
A high Official of the Elections Commission stated that the deposits could be refunded only in the event the nominations submitted for the upcoming election are cancelled.
He further noted that in order for the nominations to be cancelled, the government is required to table a Bill in this regard before the Parliament, else, nominations will be cancelled only by way of a gazette notification
In the meantime the members of the Election Commission recently met with the Prime Minister and State Administration Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
They discussed the matters necessary to hold the postponed local government and provincial council elections as soon as possible.
The Commission has requested the Prime Minister to prepare the necessary background for conducting the elections, and the Prime Minister has said that the necessary arrangements are being made.
The Commission has also informed the Prime Minister that due to the postponement of the local government elections, the public servants who have come forward as candidates are facing severe problems.
