The 2025 Local Government Elections will proceed as scheduled on May 6, according to R.M.A.L. Rathnayake, Chairman of the National Election Commission.
Rathnayake stated that the Commission will comply with court rulings, as several petitions have been filed concerning the rejection of nomination papers. He confirmed that the printing of polling cards and ballot papers for areas not affected by legal proceedings has already begun.
Earlier today, the Court of Appeal directed Returning Officers to accept nearly 37 previously rejected nomination papers. The ruling was delivered by a two-member Appeals Court bench, comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal Justice Mohammed Thahir Laffar and Justice K.P. Fernando. The decision followed writ petitions filed by political parties and independent groups, including the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ alliance, challenging rejections from multiple local government bodies, notably the Colombo Municipal Council.
The Court of Appeal had earlier paused election-related activities for the Colombo Municipal Council and other contested bodies, pending today’s decision.
In a separate development, the Supreme Court rejected 53 writ petitions and six fundamental rights petitions filed by political entities and individuals contesting the rejection of their nomination papers. These were dismissed without being taken up for consideration.
Rathnayake, while refraining from commenting on the specific rulings, announced that polling cards will be dispatched to Post Offices starting April 16. Voter distribution will take place from April 17 to April 29. He added that necessary instructions have been issued to the Government Printer for the timely production of all required election materials.
A special meeting is scheduled at the Election Secretariat next week, where all Secretaries of Ministries, heads of government institutions, and statutory boards have been summoned. The focus of the meeting will be on enforcing the gazette related to preventing the misuse of state resources during the election period.
