September 20, Colombo (LNW): Election Commission (EC) Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake announced that the results of the 2024 Presidential Election are expected to be officially released and the winning candidate declared by September 22. He made this statement at a special media conference held yesterday (19) at the Department of Government Information auditorium, attended by members of the Election Commission, Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Rathnayake, Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa, and a team of European Union election observers.
The EC Chairman emphasized that voters are prohibited from carrying mobile phones into polling booths. Temporary election offices set up for all presidential candidates must be dismantled by midnight on the 19th, with strict legal action against those violating these regulations.
Counting of postal votes will begin at 4 pm on election day, with general vote counting starting at 7 pm. If no candidate achieves a majority of 50.1%, preferential votes will be counted to determine the winner. The police have been instructed to prevent any outdoor election-related propaganda and to arrest individuals attempting to influence voters near polling centers.
DIG Thalduwa highlighted that public screenings of election results on giant screens are prohibited, and any gatherings will be dispersed. Over 63,000 police officers and 10,000 civil defense personnel will be deployed to ensure security during the election, with special measures in place to protect sealed ballot boxes and maintain order at polling and counting centers.
