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.

India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo on Friday afternoon (04).

In a post on ‘X’, Dr. Jaishankar stated that Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi send warm regards to President Dissanayake. Jaishankar posted that he appreciates President Dissanayake’s “warm sentiments and guidance” for India-Sri Lanka relations.

The Indian Minister said he discussed ways to deepen ongoing cooperation and strengthen India-Sri Lanka ties. Meanwhile, President Dissanayake said the discussions focused on boosting cooperation in tourism, energy, and investment.

“Dr. Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s support for Sri Lanka’s economic recovery. The importance of continued collaboration on fisheries, security, and national unity was also discussed,” Dissanayake posted on ‘X’.

Dr. Jaishankar extended an invitation to President Dissanayake to undertake a visit to India at a mutually convenient date.

He also met Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa and former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

“Great to meet Dr. Jaishankar during his visit to Sri Lanka. As he often says, ‘A strong and prosperous neighborhood is in everyone’s interest.’ We look forward to India’s continued fullest support in advancing Sri Lanka’s stability and growth, while supporting our mutual interests for regional development,” said Premadasa in a post on X.

Meanwhile Jaishanker said he ppreciates Premadasa’s continued support for the India-Sri Lanka relationship.Meanwhile, the Indian External Affairs Ministry (EAM) issued the following press release of Jaishanker’s meetings in Sri Lanka.

“External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar visited Colombo on 4 October 2024. He called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and held discussions with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. EAM also met former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Leader of SJB, Sajith Premadasa.

“In his discussions with Foreign Minister Herath, EAM conveyed India’s strong commitment to advance bilateral cooperation based on its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and SAGAR outlook. In this context, he assured that India’s ongoing development assistance to Sri Lanka through projects of Sri Lankan priority will be continued. He emphasized that India has offered to modernize the Kankesanthurai port through a grant to the tune of USD 61.5 million. He also conveyed that payments for seven completed Line of Credit projects to the tune of USD 20 million could be converted into grant. India has also decided to gift 22 diesel locomotives to the Sri Lankan Railways.

“In his meeting with the President, EAM spoke about ongoing initiatives in the field of energy production and transmission, fuel and LNG supply, solar electrification of religious places, connectivity, digital public infrastructure, health and dairy development. He highlighted that they would contribute to economic sustainability and provide new streams of revenue. The Sri Lankan President said that India’s economic support is critical to realize his vision of a prosperous Sri Lanka and meeting the aspirations of the people. He referred to the potential of export of renewable energy to India, which could help reduce production costs in Sri Lanka and create additional resources. The President also noted the contribution of Indian tourists and recognized that this has the potential to grow further.

“EAM’s conversation with the leadership also covered facilitating Indian investments and job creation in Sri Lanka, as well as expanding the flow of Indian tourists. In his meeting with Prime Minister Amarasuriya, he underlined that the Government of India was prepared to respond to the training and capacity building requirements of Sri Lanka. Their discussion also focused on the benefits of digital public infrastructure.

“On Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring efforts, EAM recalled that India had been supportive of Sri Lanka’s economic stability and recovery from the very start. It was the first country to give financing assurances, which enabled the IMF to finalize the Extended Fund Facility. He confirmed India’s support in the Official Creditors’ Committee in respect of Sri Lanka’s agreement with International Sovereign Bond holders. India is also willing to expedite the conclusion of its bilateral MoU with Sri Lanka. The President conveyed his appreciation in that regard.

“Regarding security and defence, the meetings brought out that the interests of India and Sri Lanka were closely intertwined. Their collaboration was in mutual interest and contributed to the stability and security of the region. The importance of a continuous dialogue that would promote trust, transparency and mutual sensitivity was recognized. The President reiterated that Sri Lankan territory would never allowed to be used in a manner inimical to India’s security interests.

“EAM raised the concerns pertaining to Indian fishermen who are detained in Sri Lanka. He pressed for their early release, as well as of their boats, and reconsideration of the heavy fines imposed on them. A humanitarian approach focused on livelihood issues would create a durable basis for addressing this matter. A meeting of the Joint Working Group on Fisheries and of the Fishermen Associations would be timely. EAM appreciated the release of 50 Indian fishermen today.

“With regard to the ethnic issue and the reconciliation process, EAM reiterated India’s support for the aspirations of all communities, including Tamils, for equality, justice, dignity, peace while maintaining the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. The full and effective implementation of the 13th Amendment of its Constitution and the early holding of Provincial Council elections will facilitate these objectives.An invitation was extended on behalf of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi by EAM to President Dissanayake to visit India at a mutually convenient date.”