By: Isuru Parakrama
November 12, Colombo (LNW): The Election Commission has laid out a clear and detailed process for the counting of votes in the forthcoming general election, scheduled for Thursday, November 14.
Addressing the media at a briefing, Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake outlined the procedures and timelines for how the vote counting will unfold on election day.
The counting of postal votes will commence at precisely 4:15 p.m. on the day of the election, Rathnayake confirmed.
Meanwhile, the counting of regular votes is anticipated to begin around 7:15 p.m., though this will be dependent on when the ballot boxes arrive at the designated counting centres.
The counting process will follow a systematic approach:
- Initial Count: The ballots in each box will first be counted individually.
- Party Vote Tally: Once the ballots have been counted, the votes for each political party or independent group will be tallied to determine the number of parliamentary seats allocated to each.
- Preferential Vote Count: After the party votes are tallied, the preferential votes for individual candidates will then be counted, with candidates receiving the highest number of preferential votes in their respective parties or groups being elected to Parliament.
The results from each district and voting area will only be publicly announced after they have been thoroughly reviewed and approved by the Election Secretariat, ensuring that all processes are accurate and transparent.
In addition to the procedures, the Election Commission has also issued a request to the public, urging them to refrain from gathering near the counting centres or in the surrounding areas during the counting process.
Rathnayake specifically emphasised the importance of avoiding unnecessary presence around these locations.
“We urge the public not to congregate around the counting centres or on the roads in the vicinity for any reason,” he stressed, highlighting the need for a smooth and disturbance-free counting process.
