News
EC ready to hold general election in 2024 if …
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Expenditure incurred by the Elections Commission increases exponentially if the length of the ballot paper exceeds 27 inches, Saman Sri Rathnayake, Commissioner General of Elections has said.
“In 1982, there were only six candidates. The ballot paper was about five inches. We could stuff about 900 ballot papers into one ballot box. In 2019, there were 35 candidates and the ballot paper was about 26 inches long. Let’s assume the number of voters didn’t change in a polling centre. We have to send three ballot boxes now to a place we sent one in 1982. We can send one ballot box with the SPO and a policeman in a cab. When we have to transport three ballot boxes, we need to hire vans. Imagine the increase in cost for transporting ballot boxes alone,” he told The Island.
Rathnayake added that each candidate was allowed to send one letter to each household, free of charge. There are 6.5 million households.
“At the polling centre, each candidate can have two people as agents. Where will we house these people? We need to find larger rooms,” he said.
About 83% of electors had cast their vote in 2019, Ratnayake said, adding that going by that percentage, in 2024 about 14.4 million people were likely to vote. There are 17 million eligible voters. Rathnayake said that the 2015 presidential election cost the taxpayer 2.7 billion rupees, in 2019 the expenditure went up to 4.4 billion rupees and in terms of the latest estimates, the government has already allocated 10 billion rupees.
Ratnanayake also said the Campaign Finance Act was in force and election monitors are paying close attention to the money spent by candidates on their campaigns.
“According to election laws, a candidate can’t take money from another government and use that money for campaigning. You also can’t take money from multinational companies or international voluntary organisations. Candidates also have to reveal the sources of their finances,” he said.
The nomination board of the Elections Commission could only consider objections in respect of the candidates who had violated the Presidential Elections Act, Ratnayake said.
Ratnayake said that the nomination committee did not have adequate time to investigate allegations against a candidate. The committee on the presidential elections comprises the five members of the Elections Commission.
“The board usually has a few hours to verify everything. They only look at a few things, i.e., whether the candidate has signed the nomination papers, whether the party has signed, whether a JP has certified details of a candidate, etc.,” he said.
Those on the nomination boards could not even independently verify the signatures of candidates, Ratnayake said. Those on the nominations board had to accept the signature certified by the General Secretaries of political parties. “Even if another party raises objections, by claiming that a candidate is a citizen of another country, there is nothing we can do. How could we determine this? Only courts can look into such claims,” he said.
When questioned about the weekly Cabinet press conference and events held at the Presidential Media Centre, the Commissioner General of Elections said the commission had no authority to prevent them.
“Sometimes, ministers speak about salary increases and various other concessions that will be given to people next year. However, as government servants, we know that ministries and departments have not even sent estimates and proposals for the 2025 budget. So, the media must cover such events critically and make people aware of the true situation.”
Ratnayake said the presidential candidates are required to submit their expenditure reports within 21 days after the conclusion of the election. The Election Commission made them public within 10 days, after which the public could lodge complaints.
The Elections Commission was also ready to hold a parliamentary election in 2024 if the person who secured the presidency dissolved parliament immediately afterwards. “According to the Constitution, the President can dissolve Parliament two and half years after its election. The Constitution also says that the necessary funding should be provided for the elections commission from the consolidated fund. We are also bound to hold the parliamentary election within 66 days after the dissolution of Parliament.
Ratnayake said Sri Lanka had held seven presidential elections, and elections officials had always been ready to count the preferential votes if necessary. If a candidate could not obtain 50 percent and one vote, the preferential votes had to be counted. “When we count the votes, we count the preferential votes. Many people think that we start counting second or third preferential votes only if one can’t get a majority. That’s not the case. We count them in one go. We have already estimated the number of officials and vehicles we want for election duties,” he said.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasized that addressing the drug issue in the country must be treated as a national priority, highlighting that it must deliver results at the ground level.
A meeting to brief the Prime Minister on the National Strategic Plan for the Management, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Persons with Substance Use Disorders (SUD) 2026–2030 was held with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Health and Mass Media and other key stakeholders on 13th of March at the Temple Trees.
The discussion focused on the proposed national strategy developed to address the growing health, social and economic challenges associated with substance use disorders in Sri Lanka. The strategic plan aims to strengthen prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration services through a coordinated and evidence-based national approach.
During the meeting, attention was drawn to existing gaps in early identification of substance use disorders, continuity of care, community-based follow-up and reintegration of recovering individuals into society. The plan proposes several key interventions, including strengthening screening and symptomatic treatment at primary healthcare and outpatient levels, improving hospital-based treatment and follow-up services, expanding residential rehabilitation facilities, and enhancing community-based rehabilitation and relapse prevention programmes.
Special emphasis has also been placed on providing targeted support for vulnerable groups, including children and adolescents, pregnant women, mothers with children and prison inmates.
Speaking on the importance of strengthening the national response to drug issues, the Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya noted that the drug menace has evolved into a serious social crisis that threatens social stability and security of families and the nation as a whole highlighting that law enforcement and rehabilitation in this regard must be given equal priority.
The Prime Minister further underscored the importance of including public awareness initiatives and responsible media reporting as key components of the national strategy.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Anil Jasinghe, officials from the Department of Prisons, Bureau of Rehabilitation, Sri Lanka Police Ministry of health, Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Justice and National Integration ,Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and other relevant department and ministries.
[Prime minister’s Media Division]
In light of the prevailing geopolitical developments in Middle East, the petroleum product supply chain has been adversely affected. At the same time, the demand for fuel has increased abnormally, resulting in a depletion of the country’s existing fuel stock. Therefore, it has become necessary to carefully manage the available fuel reserves in order to sustain the nation’s economic activities.
Furthermore, it has recently been observed that certain groups have been illegally purchasing fuel in excessive quantities. The Government of Sri Lanka intends to prevent such improper consumption and ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply for the day-to-day needs and economic activities of the general public.
Accordingly, a QR code system will be implemented with effect from 06.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026.
Fuel will not be issued by any operating filling station in the country without a valid QR code from 06.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026.
Steps to Obtain the QR Code
- Users who have already registered for the QR Code
- Users whose vehicle ownership and registered mobile number remain unchanged since their initial registration may download their QR Code from the website https://fuelpass.gov.lk/ starting from midnight on 14.03.2026, using the ‘Vehicle Login’ button.
- Users whose vehicle ownership or registered mobile number has changed since their last registration are required to re-register their details through the website https://fuelpass.gov.lk/ starting from 6.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026, using the ‘Vehicle Registration’ button.
- Users who have not previously registered for the QR Code and users with newly registered vehicles at
the RMV - Registration can be completed starting from 06.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026 through the
website https://fuelpass.gov.lk/, using the ‘Vehicle Registration’ button.
The number of litres allocated for each category of vehicle is stated below.
A special fuel issuance system will be implemented for vehicles required to support national production and essential services.
| Vehicle Class | Capacity control volume for fuel pass
(L) |
| Buses | 60 |
| Motor cycle | 5 |
| Van | 40 |
| Motor car | 15 |
| Motor Lorry | 200 |
| Land Vehicles | 25 |
| Three Wheeler | 15 |
| Special Purpose Vehicle | 40 |
| Quadricycle | 5 |
[Sri Lanka Transport Board will issue fuel to the private buses].
The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) on Friday said the largest groundwater source discovered in Sri Lanka so far had been identified during tube-well drilling near the Pitabeddara Police Station.
Indrajith Gamage, geologist in charge of the Southern Province, said the source recorded a continuous flow of about 10,000 litres (10 cubic metres) per minute, marking the first instance in the country where a groundwater source of that magnitude had been found.
He noted that the previous largest groundwater source was discovered in the Madhu area, which recorded a flow of about 7,000 litres per minute.
According to the NWSDB, the tube well was drilled following geological studies of rock layers and the identification of underground water through fractures in rock strata using specialised technical instruments.
The Board said steps would be taken to distribute water from the newly discovered source to residents facing shortages in Pitabeddara, Morawaka and surrounding areas.
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QR code system will be implemented for fuel with effect from 06.00 a.m. today (15th)
Showers will occur at several places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western and Uva provinces and in Galle, Matara, Mannar and Anuradhapura districts after 2.00 pm.
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