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Election Monitors raise serious concerns on Election Expenditure Law  

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3 years ago

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A collective of election monitoring organisations says that the new Election Expenditure Law should provide for a robust monitoring and enforcement mechanism by both the authorities and citizens.

The law “that seeks to regulate election campaign financing should prevent undue influence of donors over candidates, parties and independent groups, create a level playing field for all candidates including new entrants and underrepresented groups and reduce excessive and illegal spending on elections including by means such as the misuse of public funds and vote-buying,” the collective said in a statement.

It said: A proposed law titled “Regulation of Election Expenditure Bill” has been passed by Parliament. Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) and Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) have for several years been campaigning for the enactment of a strong law to regulate the role of money in election campaigns.

The collective of election monitoring organisations emphasizes that a law that seeks to regulate election campaign financing should prevent undue influence of donors over candidates, parties and independent groups, create a level playing field for all candidates including new entrants and underrepresented groups and reduce excessive and illegal spending on elections including by means such as the misuse of public funds and vote-buying. To be effective, the law should also provide for a robust monitoring and enforcement mechanism by both the authorities and citizens.

However, the Bill that was Gazetted on 29th November 2022, is woefully inadequate to serve these purposes. The Bill bans campaign contributions from certain parties such as foreign governments, corporate bodies registered outside Sri Lanka, companies with foreign shareholding and anonymous donors. However, it does not impose any limit on how much funding a candidate, party or independent group can receive from any source, allowing space for undue influence.

The Bill foresees the designation of an authorized amount as the spending limit for a candidate at each election, which amount has not been considered with sufficient detail. It also does not, set out an adequate monitoring mechanism. It does not prevent spending by political parties and third parties, on candidates. As such, the proposed spending limit will only defeat the purpose of introducing this law.

The proposed procedure to enforce spending limits is also inadequate. The Bill only provides that candidates should submit audited accounts to the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL), who will notify the public of their availability for perusal. An effective law would require maintenance and disclosure of separate all accounts of candidates, parties or independent groups to the ECSL, and would also make such information digitally accessible to the public, enabling easy scrutiny, and an opportunity to digitally identify irregularities.

When the Bill was placed on the Order Paper of Parliament, it was challenged before the Supreme Court, but the Determination of the Court is not yet publicly available.

While re-emphasising the critical need for election campaign financing regulation in Sri Lanka, the collective of election monitoring organisations calls upon the government to close the aforementioned loopholes in the Bill and to engage in a consultative process with the public, without rushing its passage in Parliament. A weak regulatory system can lead to a further deterioration of people’s trust in politics and the legitimacy of the electoral process, and will not achieve the objectives of introducing such a law.

The collective further reiterates that the introduction of a campaign financing law should in no instance be used as a reason to delay the holding of the local government elections.


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GovPay Concludes 2025 with Rs. 2 Billion in digital transactions, marking a major milestone in Sri Lanka’s digital transformation

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45 mins ago

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2025/12/19

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GovPay, Sri Lanka’s Government Digital Payment Platform concluded the year 2025 by surpassing Rs. 2 billion in total digital transaction value, marking a major milestone in the country’s digital transformation journey. Notably, GovPay doubled its collections from Rs. 1 billion to Rs. 2 billion in just 45 days, reflecting rapid adoption, growing public trust, and strong institutional uptake across the public sector.

Since its official launch on 07 February 2025, GovPay has processed over 69,000 digital transactions, enabling payments for 3,372 government services across 215 government institutions. This accelerated growth underscores the increasing reliance on secure, convenient, and transparent digital payment mechanisms by both citizens and government institutions.

Implemented under the strategic leadership of the Ministry of Digital Economy, the Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) in collaboration with LankaPay, GovPay has emerged as a key pillar of Sri Lanka’s national digital public infrastructure. The platform plays a critical role in advancing financial inclusion, improving service efficiency, and strengthening transparency in public service delivery.

A key milestone in 2025 was the launch of the Online Traffic Fine Payment System through GovPay on 10 April 2025. Since its introduction, the system has facilitated over 50,000 digital traffic fine payments, generating more than Rs. 66 million in revenue. The service is currently operational across the Western, Southern, Northern, North Western, and North Central Provinces, including the Southern, Katunayake, and Central Expressways. While the island wide rollout planned for December 2025 was postponed due to adverse weather conditions and disaster-related challenges, ICTA, in coordination with the Sri Lanka Police and with the support of LankaPay, has agreed to complete the nationwide rollout in January 2026, with a landmark launch in the Central Province.

GovPay has continued to expand its reach across local authorities, including Divisional Secretariats, Municipal Councils, Urban Councils, and Pradeshiya Sabhas, significantly enhancing access to government services in citizens’ day-to-day activities. The platform has enabled digital transactions for all local authorities in the Northern Province and all Divisional Secretariats in the Southern Province, with a national target to digitize all local authorities by 2026.

Institutions such as Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka Police, the Department of Technical Education and Training, the University of Moratuwa, and the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board emerged as some of the highest contributors to GovPay in 2025. Strong adoption by the education sector in particular highlights the readiness of younger generations to embrace digital transformation and demonstrates the platform’s scalability and reliability.

Beyond routine government services, GovPay also supported national disaster response efforts. Since 30 November 2025, the platform facilitated digital donations to the Rebuild Sri Lanka Disaster Relief Fund, collecting almost Rs. 14 million across 909 transactions, including contributions from Sri Lankans living abroad, ensuring transparency and ease of contribution during a national emergency.

As GovPay continues to grow, ICTA is working on revamping www.govpay.lk with enhanced features to support institutional onboarding, service management, and reporting capabilities. With Rs. 2 billion in digital collections achieved within its first year of operation and the last Rs. 1 billion reached in just 45 days, GovPay stands as a strong testament to the impact of coordinated digital transformation, reinforcing Sri Lanka’s vision of achieving a USD 15 billion digital economy by 2030.

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Swift restoration of Religious, Cultural and Archaeological sites damaged by the disaster

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57 mins ago

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2025/12/19

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A discussion on the restoration of religious, cultural and archaeological sites affected by Cyclone Ditwah was held on Thursday (18) afternoon  at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, with the participation of the Most Venerable Mahanayaka Theras of the three Chapters and other religious leaders.

Addressing the meeting, the Minister stated that more than one thousand religious, cultural and archaeological sites across the country had sustained damage due to the disaster. He assured that prompt measures would be taken to commence restoration work and reinstate these sites to their original condition without delay.

The Minister further stated that all restoration work is expected to be carried out while preserving the historical and cultural authenticity of the sites, under the guidance of the Most Venerable Maha Sangha and other religious leaders, with the active participation of all relevant stakeholders.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs,  Prince Senadheera, noted that arrangements are currently underway to mobilize the required human resources and financial assistance for the restoration process. He also stated that steps have been initiated to recruit the necessary technical officers on a contractual basis to conduct technical assessments of the affected sites. In addition, plans are in place to involve officials of the Ministry as well as officers of its affiliated institutions in carrying out these restoration activities.

The Secretary to the Ministry further stated that generous financial contributions from donors are currently being received to the fund established under the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs for the reconstruction of damaged religious places of worship.

The meeting also considered continuing the gathering as an interfaith committee to oversee the restoration activities. Accordingly, it was agreed that the progress of construction work would be regularly reported to the committee and that the committee would be entrusted with mobilizing support for the fund in a transparent manner, including assistance from foreign donors, international organizations, Buddhist organizations and other religious institutions.

It was noted that the Central Cultural Fund has identified eight sites that were severely damaged by the disaster and are difficult to restore through conventional construction methods, requiring the specialized expertise of archaeologists, mural conservation specialists, and architects. The cost of restoring these sites has been estimated at over Rs. 500 million.

It was further decided that the committee would meet once a month to review and discuss the progress of these restoration activities.

Religious leaders commended the Government’s intervention in providing relief to those affected by the disaster and in restoring livelihoods, expressing appreciation for the effective management of the response. They also praised the Government’s prompt action in initiating restoration work at damaged religious sites.

The event was attended by several eminent religious leaders, including the Registrar of the Asgiri Maha Viharaya, Venerable Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Nayaka Thero; the Registrar General of the Amarapura Siri Saddhammawansa Maha Nikaya, Venerable Balapitiye Siri Seevali Nayaka Thero; the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya, Venerable Attangane Sasanarathana Nayaka Thero; the Chief Secretary of the All-Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Board, Venerable Professor Mugunuwela Anuruddha Nayaka Thero; and the Tri-Nikaya Maha Sangha, led by the Chairman of the National Bhikkhu Front, Venerable Wakamulle Uditha Thero.

Also in attendance were Hindu religious leaders, including Venerable Swami Aksharatmananda, representatives of the Catholic Church and the National Christian Council, including Father Alec Roy Samantha Fernando, All-Ceylon Muslim religious leaders, including the General Secretary of the Jamiatul Ulama Organization, Ash-Sheikh Arkam Nooramith, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs,  Mohamed Muneer , as well as senior officials of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and relevant line institutions.

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Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Badulla, Kandy, Kurunegala, Matale and Nuwara Eliya extended

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6 hours ago

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2025/12/19

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The landslide early warning center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has extended the landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Badulla, Kandy, Kurunegala, Matale and Nuwara Eliya until 08:00 AM on Saturday [20th].

LEVEL III RED landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Minipe, Ududumbara, Doluwa and Medadumbara in the Kandy district, and Mathurata, Walapane, Hanguranketha and Nildandahinna in the Nuwara Eliya district.

LEVEL II AMBER landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Badulla, Lunugala, Passara and Hali_Ela in the Badulla district, Akurana, Pathadumbara, Udunuwara, Gangawata Korale, Pasbage Korale, Harispattuwa, Thumpane, Panvila, Ganga Ihala Korale, Udapalatha, Yatinuwara, Poojapitiya, Kundasale, Deltota, Pathahewaheta and Hatharaliyadda in the Kandy district, Rideegama in the Kurunegala district, Laggala Pallegama, Wilgamuwa, Yatawatta, Ambanganga Korale, Naula, Rattota, Pallepola, Ukuwela and Matale in the Matale district, and Nuwara Eliya in the Nuwara Eliya district.

LEVEL I YELLOW landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Bandarawela, Uva Paranagama, Haldummulla, Kandeketiya, Soranathota, Ella, Welimada, Haputhale and Meegahakivula in the Badulla district, Alawwa, Polgahawela, Mallawapitiya and Mawathagama in the Kurunegala district, and Thalawakele, Norwood, Ambagamuwa Korale, Kothmale West and Kothmale East in the Nuwara Eliya district.

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