News
Time frame for presidential poll set by law: elections chief
Discretion permitted for other elections
by Rathindra Kuruwita
The presidential election is the only election that the constitution has set a time frame for, Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake said last week. He said this is not the case with other elections, so the presidential election can’t be postponed.
“The Elections Commission has no direct authority over holding other elections. Consider the local authorities elections as an example. The tenure of the local councils is four years. The line minister can hold the election a year earlier, or he can extend their terms by a year.
“The tenure of a parliament is five years but the president can dissolve parliament after two and a half years of its term.. This is not the case with a presidential election,” he said.
Ratnayake said the constitution lays down a five-year term for the presidency and there are no provisions to extend it. On November 18, 2019, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sworn in as president. The constitution stipulates that the next presidential election should be held between September 18 and October 18.
The Commissioner General of Elections said even if the president dissolves parliament in the first week of September, his department has the capability of holding both the general and presidential election on dates close to each other.
“The constitution says that if a president dissolves parliament, he or she is bound to provide the necessary funding and other facilities for an election. This year, we asked for 20 billion rupees to hold the presidential and local or provincial council elections. We only got 10 billion but if the government decides to hold local or provincial council elections, the treasury is bound to provide us the necessary funds,” he said.
Ratnayake said the estimates for the 2024 elections were based on prices that prevailed in late 2023. He added that there are about 800,000 first time voters for the election to be held in 2024.
Commenting on campaign financing, he said that this is not a new concept for Sri Lanka. Expenditure by candidates was limited by law until 1977.
“George E. de Silva lost his seat in parliament in 1948 following an election petition filed by his opponent, T.B. Ilangaratne. He was deprived of his civic rights on being found guilty of not listing an expenditure of Rs. 40 for getting his manifesto translated in his election expenditure return,
K. M. P. Rajaratna was fined Rs. 100 in 1955 by the District Court of Badulla for not submitting his election expenses return. He also lost his seat. Elections were then worked on the first- past-the post basis,” he said.
This changed with the proportional representation system where political parties submit a list of nominations of candidates. Earlier, each candidate was responsible for handing in his or her own nomination papers, Ratnayake said.
Politicians need funds to run a campaign, he said. However, when there is no cap on expenditure, availability of money becomes the determining factor in winning elections. During the 2018 local election, a candidate spent 40 million rupees for a ward with 1,800 voters in Maduraketiya, Moneragala, Ratnayake said describing this as “ludicrous.”
Latest News
Heat Index at Caution Level at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Monaragala, Mannar, Vavuniya and Anuradhapura districts
Warm Weather Advisory Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 3.30 p.m. on 17 March 2026, valid for 18 March 2026.
The general public are warned that the Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Monaragala, Mannar, Vavuniya and Anuradhapura districts.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday (17) recorded a statement from former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the allocation of a house for a maid working at the residence of the then Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, PC.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in his capacity as the Secretary to the Ministry Defence and Urban Development, allegedly authorised the allocation of the house on the recommendation of the CJ during President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second term. The Rajapaksa government brought in Peiris as the Chief Justice after impeaching Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake in January 2013.
The allocation of the house was made by the Urban Development Authority (UDA), following the mandatory examination of the request, sources said, adding that during that time the government had launched several mega housing projects in Colombo and its suburbs to accommodate those living in shanties, etc.
CIABOC is expected to record a statement from ex-CJ Peiris who subsequently served as the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
As part of the assistance extended by the Government of India towards rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, a four-member technical delegation of health experts from Sri Lanka visited India recently.
The Indian HC said: “The delegation studied the Indian models of Medical Kiosks/Health ATMs, Mobile Diagnostic Laboratories and the telemedicine platform ‘eSanjeevani’ to explore replicating these initiatives in Sri Lanka in order to strengthen the local healthcare delivery system.
During the visit, the delegation participated in a series of technical sessions organized by premier Indian institutions like National Health Authority, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). Visits were arranged for the delegation to Combined Hospital at Loni, Ghaziabad, and Civil Hospital, Sector 10, Gurugram as part of exposure to India’s digital health ecosystem. Demonstrations were conducted on Mobile Health Kiosks / Health ATMs, including basic diagnostics and their role in strengthening primary healthcare delivery. The Sri Lankan experts were also provided an overview of India’s highly successful Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. A live teleconsultation through eSanjeevani was demonstrated, highlighting the integration of remote consultations with digital health records.
The initiative reflects the continued robust cooperation between India and Sri Lanka in strengthening healthcare delivery systems, particularly in vulnerable areas, and supporting recovery efforts among affected communities.”
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Heat Index at Caution Level at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Monaragala, Mannar, Vavuniya and Anuradhapura districts
Showers above 50 mm can be expected at some places in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Uva provinces and in Anuradhapura district
CIABOC questions Ex-President GR on house for CJ’s maid
Post-Ditwah Indian recovery assistance to SL: health experts from here visited India
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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