President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the main temple of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya in Narahenpita this morning (05), and received his blessings Aggamaha Panditha Makulewe Wimala Nayaka Thero, of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya,

The Anunayaka Theros, Lekhadhikari Theros, and other senior clergy of the Nikaya were also present at the occasion. The Maha Sangha chanted Seth Pirith to invoke blessings upon the President.

Following this, the President engaged in a brief discussion with the Chief Prelate and the Maha Sangha regarding the current economic, social and political situation in the country.

During the discussion, the monks requested that when appointing Ambassadors and High Commissioners, the President should ensure that qualified, intelligent individuals who can properly represent the country abroad are selected. Similarly, they urged the appointment of responsible individuals, free from political considerations, for the positions of Governors.

The Maha Sangha also emphasized that when appointing Secretaries to Ministries, the President should choose suitable individuals for the respective roles.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that his goal is to make all decisions in line with the policies outlined in his manifesto. He further mentioned that he plans to introduce relevant reforms after the upcoming General Election.

Most Venerable Makulewe Wimala Nayaka Thero also expressed confidence that the trust placed in the President and his team by the people during the last Presidential Election will be fulfilled, and that the blessings of the Sangha are with him to help realize the expectations of the public.

Legal requirement for presidential candidates to declare campaign expenditure:

By Ranil Dharmasena and Rathindra Kuruwita

Not a single presidential candidate has handed over his expenses report for election propaganda to the Election Commission (EC) by 04 October 2024, according to sources.Presidential candidates have time till 12 October to hand over their election campaign expense reports to the EC.

According to campaign finance laws each presidential candidate must submit election campaign expense reports to the EC within 21 days of the announcement of the election results.

Once all 38 candidates have submitted their expense reports, the documents will be made available for public viewing.

Should any discrepancies be found in any candidate’s reports, individuals are entitled to file complaints with the police, provided they furnish credible evidence to support their claims.

Meanwhile, Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake said that he believed that candidates would hand over the reports next week. “Sri Lankans submit reports at the last minute,” he said.

Rohana Hettiarachchi, Executive Director of People’s Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL) told The Island that the expenses reports would show the number of dummy candidates who contested the 21 September election.

“Candidates for the Presidential Election will submit their expenditure reports next week. I believe that some candidates will present reports stating that they have not spent any money. These are the so-called ‘dummy candidates,” he said.

If the EC does not take steps to reduce these dummy candidates, the number of dummy candidates would increase further in the future, he said. There had been a proposal to increase the electoral deposits that candidates had to place when contesting elections, he said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will announce dates for the Third Review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with Sri Lanka, once the institution’s delegation, currently in Sri Lanka, returns, Julie Kozack, Director of the Communications Department – IMF, told journalists at a press conference held in New York on Thursday (03).

Answering questions posed by journalists about the future of the IMF agreement with Sri Lanka, Kozack said Sri Lanka has performed strongly with regards to the programme.

“On 12 June 2024, the IMF Executive Board completed the 2024 Article IV Consultation, and the Second Review, under the EFF programme on Sri Lanka, providing the country with immediate access to about $336 million to support its economic policies and reforms. Programme performance is strong, and reform efforts are bearing fruit in terms of reviving economic growth, lowering inflation, boosting reserves and improving revenue mobilization,” she said.

However, important vulnerabilities and uncertainties do remain, and this means that sustaining reform momentum is critical, Kozack said.

She said that at present, a high-level team, led by the Fund’s Director of the Asia Pacific Department, Krishna Srinivasan, is currently visiting Colombo to meet with President Dissanayake and his new economic team.

“The delegation is discussing with the authorities the latest economic developments and their economic reform objective. Dates for the Third Review under the EFF will be announced in due course and this delegation will communicate when their visit concludes. And we will have more information for you at that time,” she told journalists.

Responding to a question on the bondholders, she said that on 18 September, Sri Lanka and the international bondholder representatives reached an agreement in principle.

“This is subject to confirmation of comparability of treatment by Sri Lanka’s Official Creditor Committee, and this does represent some significant progress in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process,” she said.