The Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government, Professor Chandana Abeyratne, has announced that amendments to the laws governing the cancellation of nominations for local government elections will be tabled in Parliament in the coming weeks.
The Ministry confirmed that the legal reform process is already underway, with the Legal Drafting Department spearheading the initiative.
According to Ministry sources, the proposed changes will enable approximately one million new voters, who joined the electoral rolls after 2022, to exercise their franchise.
Nominations for the local government elections were called in April last year to elect 8,711 representatives across 340 local government institutions. These included 24 municipal councils, 41 urban councils, and 275 regional councils. In total, 80,672 candidates from political parties and independent groups submitted their nominations.
Among the nominees, there are nearly 3,000 government employees. However, ministry sources revealed that about 8,000 of the nominated candidates have either emigrated or passed away since their nominations were filed.
The amendments aim to address these discrepancies and streamline the electoral process, ensuring a fair opportunity for all eligible voters to participate in the democratic process.
