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Election Campaign Finance to be regulated soon – EC chief

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Text and pictures by PRIYAN DE SILVA

Chairman of the Election Commission of Sri Lanka, Nimal Punchihewa says a draft Bill to regulate expenditure incurred by candidates at elections conducted under the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance, the Provincial Councils Elections Act, the Parliamentary Elections Act and the Presidential Elections Act’ drawn up by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka has been approved by the Attorney General and submitted to the President. If approved by the President, the Bill will be presented to Parliament for ratification.The need for regulating campaign finance has arisen as some candidates and political parties spend billions of rupees to ‘buy’ votes.

Both the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFEREL) and the CMEV campaigned for regulating campaign finance and Manjula Gajanayake the National Coordinator of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) at the time took the initiative to set up a special team to keep tabs on the colossal amounts political parties and candidates spent on their election campaigns.

Gajanayake said that the CMEV had spent 15 million rupees to monitor campaign finance at the 2019 Presidential Election and 2020 General Election. He said that the CMEV reports showed that approximately 7,800 million rupees had been spent at these two elections but it was just the tip of the iceberg.

Gajanayake said that Sirithunga Jayasuriya, who contested the 2019 Presidential Election and former MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who contested the 2020 Parliamentary Election, were the only candidates who had disclosed their campaign expenditure.

Gajanayake, who is currently the Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES), said that IRES would monitor campaign spending at future elections. He said that the Election Commission of Sri Lanka should set up a special committee to review the maximum amount each candidate and political party could spend on their campaign at each election and added that it was imperative that the source of funding was disclosed and spending made transparent.He said that laws should be introduced to unseat anyone found guilty of spending over and above the stipulated ceiling; introducing a regulatory mechanism to control campaign finance would undoubtedly change the Sri Lankan election landscape in the future.



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Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Kalutara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura

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The Landslide Early Warning Centre of the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued early warnings to the Districts of Kalutara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura from 1600hrs on 13th June 2026 till 1600hrs on 14th June 2026.

Accordingly,

LEVEL I (YELLOW) landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surounding areas of Palindanuwara and Agalawatta in the Kalutara district,  Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya and Ayagama, Pelmadulla,
Godakawela, Elapatha, Kalawana, Ratnapura and Nivithigala in the Ratnapura district.

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INS Sharda departs Colombo concluding replenishment visit

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The Indian Naval Ship (INS) ‘Sharda’ departed the island today (13 Jun 26), concluding her replenishment purposes.

On departure  the vessel was accorded a traditional naval farewell by the Sri Lanka Navy at the Port of Colombo.

The visit also paved the way for vibrant personnel interactions, fostering camaraderie and goodwill. The crew of INS Sharda and personnel from the Sri Lanka Navy participated in a
friendly volleyball match and a joint yoga session. A

dditionally, Sri Lanka Navy personnel had the opportunity to visit the Indian naval vessel, while the visiting crew took time to explore several culturally significant landmarks across the island.

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Special Dengue Prevention Week declared in Colombo District from June 15 to 21

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A decision has been taken to declare a Special Dengue Prevention Week from 15 to 21 of June by the Colombo District Dengue Control Committee to curb the spread of the disease in the Colombo District.

This decision was taken at the meeting of the Colombo District Dengue Control Committee held on Friday  (12) at the Colombo District Secretariat under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

Compared to last year, the number of dengue cases reported this year has increased significantly. According to the National Dengue Control Unit, approximately 39,100 dengue cases have been reported island wide to date, of which 25.8% have been recorded in the Colombo District. Following this situation, the Colombo District has been identified as a high-risk district.

Health authorities informed that the increasing spread of the disease has been influenced not only by the nature of circulating virus but also to the lack of sufficient immunity among the population. They further noted that the recent period of heavy rainfall has aggravated the spread of Dengue.

It was also identified that the current outbreak is being reported more frequently from public places such as government institutions, private establishments, schools, and religious venues rather than from residential premises. Observations have identified improperly managed solid waste and drainage systems in offices and other public locations as major breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Accordingly, during the Dengue Prevention Week from 15 to 21 June, a series of measures will be implemented, including, organising community clean-up campaigns in government and private institutions, schools, residential areas, and other public spaces; Conducting inspections of high-risk premises by Divisional Secretariats and taking legal action, where necessary, followed by awareness programmes; Distributing informational leaflets, displaying banners, and carrying out public awareness campaigns through the media. Health authorities also requested school administrations not to involve students below Grade 10 in school cleaning programmes and to immediately notify the relevant Medical Officer of Health (MOH) office if a student is diagnosed with dengue.

The programme is expected to receive the active support and participation of the district’s political leadership, religious leaders of all faiths, public officials, local government institutions, the tri-forces, the police, and the general public.

The event was attended by the Chairperson of the District Coordination Committee, Members of Parliament, representatives of local government authorities, government secretaries, police officers, and officials representing the education and health sectors, among others.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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