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EU: Presidential election competitive and offered voters genuine political alternatives

Published

1 year ago

2024/09/25

EU mission addressing the media in Colombo

The 2024 presidential election was a pivotal step towards reinvigorating the democratic process in Sri Lanka through the ballot, the European Union Election Observation Mission Sri Lanka declared.

The text of its statement issued soon after the declaration of results”: The Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) conducted the process independently and with resolve, ensuring transparency at all key stages of the election. The contest itself was pluralistic, with fundamental freedoms broadly respected. The campaign was peaceful and energetic, yet the advantage of incumbency tilted the playing field and some manipulative digital campaigns aimed to confuse voters. Vote count and tabulation of results were rated positively by citizen and international observers and all lead candidates accepted the outcome of the polls.

The ECSL operated transparently and efficiently, enjoying broad stakeholder trust at national and district levels. The Commission held stakeholder meetings and closely collaborated with civil society to provide voter information and monitor the campaign. The Commission also took an active public stance against violations of campaign rules and the misuse of state resources, despite limited powers of and capacity for enforcement.

The ECSL made preparations for election day efficiently and on time, ensuring smooth and orderly voting, counting and tabulation of results. On election day, all polling stations observed by the EU EOM opened on time, election workers were knowledgeable and professional, while the presence of party agents and citizen observers enhanced the transparency and integrity of the process. Voting proceeded in a peaceful and festive atmosphere. Procedures were robustly followed during voting, as well as during the count of ballots. No major violations of election law were recorded, yet the political campaign on social media continued in full swing, also on election day.

Clarity and integrity of the process were ensured during the tabulation and the count of preferential votes. Tabulation took place in parallel to the vote count and proceeded without irregularities in all results’ centres observed. The ECSL released voting results by polling division as soon as they were verified, maintaining stakeholder confidence. The decision to proceed with the count of preference votes was communicated before all final results were published.

The legal framework is conducive to the conduct of a democratic election. Recent legal reforms addressed several previous EU EOM recommendations, advancing privacy rights, introducing regulations for campaign finance and ensuring that youth turning 18 in the months preceding an election are no longer disenfranchised. Yet, legislation with the potential for arbitrary and repressive application against political dissent, for example the Online Safety Act, is also in force, falling short of international standards.

Eligibility rules for presidential candidates protect the right of political participation, and the nomination process was conducted without legal incident. The ECSL registered a record total of 39 candidates, around half of whom did not campaign. Regrettably, there was no woman among the candidates. Overall, there has been little progress in advancing gender parity in public life due to many factors including limited political will to advance women within party structures.

The presidential election was competitive and offered voters genuine political alternatives. For the first time in recent political history, there was a three-way race for the presidential office. The leading candidates focused their campaigns on economic issues, attempting to attract voters from all social strata and crossing historical ethno-religious divisions.

The campaign was peaceful and energetic, allowing broadly for the freedom of assembly and expression. However, closer to the election, hostile, aggressive rhetoric, interpersonal mudslinging and manipulative digital campaigns gradually increased. All leading candidates held large-scale rallies, sought alliances with religious leaders and minority groups, mobilised grassroots support down to the village level, and deployed online campaign teams. A few politically motivated assaults occurred.

The advantage of incumbency distorted the playing field. Salary increments for public sector employees, social benefit schemes, an interest-free student loan plan and monetary support programmes for small businesses, all announced by the executive during the campaign and covered in a positive tone on state media, were aligned with the incumbent’s re-election bid. The line between governing and campaigning was further blurred by the participation of state and local officials in the incumbent’s rallies. This was aggravated by the absence of elected provincial and local councils.

To advance equity between candidates, limits on campaign finance were introduced for the first time. There were no caps on individual donations and no disclosure requirements until after the election. Transparency in candidate spending on traditional and social media was also poor. Reports on campaign funding and expenditure are to be submitted only after the declaration of results.

Broadcast media offered lively coverage of campaigning, yet it was rather uniform in style and content, focused on passing political messages and offering very limited non-partisan scrutiny and analysis, which would have helped voters to make an informed choice. TV stations reported on rallies and meetings, with candidates’ speeches filling up to two-thirds of their prime-time newscasts. Furthermore, leading candidates did not participate in the presidential media debate, depriving voters of the possibility to compare them directly. During the last two weeks of the campaign, alarmist and fear-mongering content about prospective violence became more visible.

Campaigning on social media was fierce, marked by increasingly hostile rhetoric closer to the election and manipulated content aiming to confuse voters. Leading candidates made accusatory statements against each other, while their digital teams inserted political messages in non-partisan entertainment and gossip groups on social media and created memes that ridiculed their rivals. False and misleading content spread online, and national fact-checkers swiftly debunked it, yet the reaction from social media platforms was not always consistent in limiting it. Campaign silence was not observed online.

Civil society was active and engaged with the ECSL, enhancing the transparency and inclusiveness of the election. Well-established citizen observer groups monitored election preparations, the campaign environment and election day proceedings. Civil society organisations (CSOs) were also agile in flagging disinformation, tracking violations of election rules and calling public attention to the misuse of state resources. A positive contribution was also made through their voter information efforts for persons with disabilities.

The ECSL received over 5,000 complaints prior to the election and 600 on election day, mostly of minor infringements of the law. Prior to the polls, the vast majority of violations were addressed directly by the ECSL, in collaboration with the police, taking action to halt the activities complained of. Equally, on election day, mitigation and prompt prevention were employed to maintain a peaceful atmosphere.”

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Senior citizens above 70 years to receive March allowances on Thursday (26)

Published

18 hours ago

2026/03/25

Priyan

The Welfare Benefits Board has announced that the March allowance for senior citizens over 70 years of age will be credited to each beneficiaries account on Thursday (26th).

693,801 senior citizens over the age of 70 years are set to benifit under this welfare scheme

News

CEB Engineers warn public to be prepared for power cuts after New Year

Published

18 hours ago

2026/03/25

Sahan Weerasooriya

A looming power crisis is casting an ominous shadow over the country, with engineers warning that the current “no power cut” situation may not last beyond the Sinhala and Tamil New Year due to worsening diesel shortages and ongoing coal-related disruptions.

A senior electrical engineer, attached to the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union, cautioned that while authorities appear to be managing the system for now, the underlying fuel constraints are reaching a critical point.

He told The Island: “At the moment, there are no scheduled power cuts across the country. But this is being maintained under significant strain. With the diesel shortage and unresolved coal issues, sustaining uninterrupted supply, beyond the New Year period, will be extremely challenging.”

The engineer noted that thermal power generation — particularly diesel-based plants — has become increasingly difficult to sustain due to limited fuel stocks and logistical bottlenecks. At the same time, the substandard quality coal supply issues that have plagued recent shipments continue to undermine the efficiency of base-load generation.

“We are stretching available resources to avoid immediate outages. owever, unless there is a rapid improvement in fuel availability, the system will be forced into load shedding soon after the New Year,” he warned.

According to him, authorities are likely to delay any scheduled outages until after the festive season to avoid public backlash and economic disruption during a traditionally sensitive period.

“Most probably, they will try to continue like this until the New Year. But after that, daytime or peak-time load shedding becomes almost inevitable if the situation remains unchanged,” he added.

Energy analysts say the warning reflects a deeper structural vulnerability within the power sector, where over-reliance on imported fossil fuels — particularly diesel and coal — continues to expose the system to external shocks and procurement failures.

The recent use of substandard coal has already resulted in reduced generation capacity at the country’s sole coal power plant at Norochcholai, compounding the pressure on thermal plants to bridge the shortfall. Engineers say this has forced operators to depend more heavily on costly diesel generation — an option now constrained by supply shortages.

Industry sources indicate that demand is also on the rise, particularly during night peak hours, possibly driven by increased reliance on electricity for cooking, amid gas shortages, further tightening the supply-demand balance.

Despite the absence of official announcements, insiders suggest contingency planning for load shedding is already underway.

“If the fuel situation does not improve within the next few weeks, controlled power cuts will be the only viable option to protect the grid from a total system failure,” the engineer stressed.

The warning comes at a time when the country is attempting to maintain economic stability following successive crises, with uninterrupted power supply considered critical for industry, commerce, and daily life.

However, unless urgent corrective measures are taken to secure reliable fuel supplies and stabilise generation capacity, the return of power cuts — including during daytime hours — appears increasingly unavoidable, an expert said.

By Ifham Nizam

News

Japanese boost to Sri J’pura Hospital, an outright gift from Tokyo during JRJ rule

Published

18 hours ago

2026/03/25

Sahan Weerasooriya

Japanese Ambassador to Colombo, Akio Isomata, on 24 March, handed over the newly established dental unit and 4D Angio CT suite at Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital. Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa and other senior officials from the Ministry of Health and the hospital attended the event.

Highlighting the strong partnership between Japan and Sri Lanka in the health sector, the Embassy issued the following press release yesterday: “This handover marks the second phase of the project, following the initial provision of ophthalmic equipment in December 2023. The current phase represents a significant milestone, featuring the introduction of a state-of-the-art CT Angiography system – the first of its kind in South Asia – as well as dental units. These contributions are expected to enhance Sri Lanka’s capacity to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, stroke, and diabetes, thereby saving lives, reducing long-term complications, and improving the quality of life of patients.

The CT Angiography system integrates CT scanning and angiography functions, enabling highly accurate and timely diagnosis and treatment. It is expected to further strengthen the hospital’s role as a key medical hub in Sri Lanka and the wider region.

In addition, the provision of 10 dental units will support the establishment and enhancement of dental services at the hospital. In Japan, oral health is considered closely linked to overall health and plays an important role in extending healthy life expectancy. This support is, therefore, also expected to contribute to the promotion of preventive healthcare in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital was constructed in 1984 with grant assistance from the Government of Japan. The well-known “1001-bed” story—originating from former President J.R. Jayewardene’s remark to add one more bed to the originally planned 1,000—remains a memorable episode reflecting the history of this cooperation.

Japan has consistently supported Sri Lanka’s health sector over the decades, including the development of medical facilities, strengthening of blood supply systems, and support during the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccine delivery assistance. Furthermore, during Sri Lanka’s recent economic crisis, Japan provided fuel essential for maintaining healthcare services, and in times of natural disasters, dispatched emergency medical teams to deliver urgent care. These efforts demonstrate Japan’s continued commitment to standing by Sri Lanka, especially in times of need. These efforts reflect Japan’s commitment to “investment in people” and “human security,” supporting a healthcare system in which all individuals can live healthy and dignified lives.

Japanese Ambassador Isomata with Minister Dr Jayatissa and officials (pic courtesy Japanese Embassy)

Ambassador Isomata remarked, “This support is not merely for the provision of equipment, but also for the consolidation of the foundation for safeguarding lives and livelihoods. Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, built with the support of Japan, stands as a symbol of the longstanding friendship between our two countries. We sincerely hope that this project will contribute to building a sustainable healthcare system that benefits future generations in the field of medicine and further strengthen our partnership.”

Minister Jayatissa highlighted,” This is not just a donation of machines. It is an investment in the lives and futures of our patients. By establishing this modern dental unit, we are addressing a critical need in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases for our population. I wish to express our deepest gratitude to the Government and people of Japan for this generous assistance. These are acts of true friendship, and the people of Sri Lanka will always remember them with gratitude.”

Japan will continue to work closely with Sri Lanka to further strengthen the healthcare sector and deepen the longstanding friendship between the two countries.”