If the Local Government Elections (Special Provisions) Bill is approved by Parliament, the Election Commission will be able to conduct local government elections before the April New Year, according to Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake.
The proposed Bill, introduced in Parliament earlier this month, seeks to annul the previous nominations submitted for the 2023 elections, call for fresh nominations, and facilitate the elections.
Chairman Ratnayake emphasized that conducting elections for 340 local government bodies will require a budget of Rs. 8 billion to Rs. 10 billion. He noted that printing ballot papers for all these bodies presents a significant logistical challenge. To address this, the Commission has already initiated discussions with the Government Printer to begin preparing certain election materials.
In addition, an updated voter list will be used for the upcoming elections, incorporating an additional 78,000 new voters registered in 2024.
A senior official from the Finance Ministry assured that there will be no delays in allocating funds for the elections. The official confirmed that provisions for election funding will be included in the upcoming 2025 budget.
