News

Major political alliances won’t cooperate with EC’s initiative

Published

2 years ago

2024/08/17

Thilina Walpola

R.M.A.L. Rathnayake

Marking second and third preferences:

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake yesterday (16) said that unlike any previous presidential poll, they may have to go for a second count due to there being several prominent candidates in the fray at the 21 September Presidential Election.

Rathnayake said so when The Island asked him whether the EC would launch a special programme to educate the voters regarding the pivotal importance of the second and third preferences. “We are in the process of formulating a programme involving print and electronic media as well as social media,” the Chairman said.

However, top spokespersons for major political parties and alliances told The Island that they wouldn’t support such an endeavour.

Referring to presidential elections held in 1982 (six contestants), 1988 (three contestants), 1994 (six contestants), 1999 (13 contestants), 2005 (13 contestants), 2010 (22 contestants), 2015 (19 contestants) and 2019 (35 contestants), Rathnayake said that second and third preferences hadn’t been an issue at all for want of a ‘serious’ third candidate at any election. However, against the backdrop of post-Aragalaya developments, the forthcoming presidential poll seemed to be different from previous elections.

In terms of the Presidential Election Act No 15 of 1981, the winning candidate must secure 50% of the total number of votes, plus one.

Rathnayake stressed that a collective effort was needed to encourage the electorate to vote for three candidates. Responding to another query, the top EC official said that the support of political parties and alliances in the fray was required to educate the voting public.

With the addition of one million new voters, altogether 17.1 mn are eligible to vote at the first post-Aragalaya national poll.Asserting that counting of second and third preferences seemed inevitable, the EC Chief said that if that happened the releasing of results would definitely be delayed. “We never experienced such a situation before as just a minute percentage of the total vote was shared by contestants other than the two main candidates.

At the last presidential election, JVP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured a distant third position polling only 418,553 (3.16%) votes. Without making any reference to any candidate, Rathnayake said that the situation was quite different now.

Among the 39 candidates in the fray are President Ranil Wickremesinghe (Independent), Sajith Premadasa (SJB), Anura Kumara Dissanayake (JJB), Namal Rajapaksa (SLPP), Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe (Jathika Prajathanrawadi Peramuna), Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka (Independent) and Roshan Ranasinghe (Independent).

Asked whether the JVP/JJB would join the proposed EC-led campaign to educate the voting public, their top spokesperson Vijitha Herath, MP, said that they wouldn’t, under any circumstances, ask voters to choose second and third preferences. The Gampaha District parliamentarian emphasized that they strongly urged supporters to exercise their franchise in support of Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Herath emphasized that they wouldn’t want to confuse the electorate by urging them to choose second and third preferences. How could the JVP/JJP do so when others’ policies were contradictory to theirs? “In fact, we’ll campaign against such a move,” MP Herath said.

The Island raised the same issue with SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, MP, who also simply dismissed the suggestion. The SJB-led alliance wouldn’t ask its supporters to exercise their second and third preferences. The former Minister said that the SJB’s decision in this regard was not negotiable.

UNP General Secretary and former State Minister Palitha Range Bandara said that they were yet to discuss the issue, hence his inability to take a position.

SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, too, ruled out the possibility of them backing the EC’s initiative. “We believe our candidate Namal Rajapaksa can obtain 50% plus of the total vote. Therefore, we won’t encourage our supporters to vote for any other candidate,” parliamentarian Kariyawasam said

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News

USS Canberra departs Colombo

Published

56 mins ago

2026/06/14

Priyan

USS Canberra of the United States Navy departed the island on 14 Jun 26, following a successful replenishment port call. The Sri Lanka Navy extended a traditional naval farewell to the departing vessel at the Port of Colombo.

During the ship’s stay, the Commanding Officer of USS Canberra called on the Commander Western Naval Area at the Western Naval Command Headquarters

News

The use of local organic Agricultural products in the Bakery Industry will strengthen both local farmers and the tourism industry – PM

Published

6 hours ago

2026/06/14

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the use of local organic agricultural products in bakery production would provide significant support to both local farmers and the growth of the tourism industry.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the Annual meeting of the All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association, held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, on Friday (12 June).

The Prime Minister stated,

“At a decisive moment when the country is moving towards a new phase of economic transformation, I believe that the bakery industry has the potential to become a key driver of the national economy, rather than remaining limited to flour-based products alone.

The food production must be mainly considered the quality and safety of food. Therefore, instead of focusing solely on taste, we should introduce nutritious and healthy products to the market that are free from artificial flavourings and colourings.

By using ingredients such as rice flour, finger millet, foxtail millet, green gram, and indigenous tubers to create value-added products, the bakery industry has the opportunity to capitalize on the growing global trend towards health-conscious diets.

The use of local organic agricultural products in food prepared for foreign tourists will provide substantial benefits to local farmers while also contributing to the growth of the tourism industry. At the same time, the government remains committed to strengthening local entrepreneurs by reducing challenges related to the importation of raw materials, providing concessionary loans for new technologies, and offering the technical assistance required to meet international standards.

The government has already launched programmes through the Ministry of Industries to provide the necessary training and market linkages to help small and medium-scale bakery owners develop and expand their businesses”.

The occasion was attended by the Deputy Minister of Industries Chathuranga Abeysinghe, President of the All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association N.K. Jayawardana, and a number of members of the Association were also present at the event.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

News

Prime Minister meets with UNICEF delegation

Published

6 hours ago

2026/06/14

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya met with a delegation from the UNICEF on Friday (June 12) at Temple Trees to discuss ongoing efforts to support the recovery of the education sector following the impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

Discussions focused on the implementation of activities outlined in the report titled “Cyclone Ditwah Education Emergency Response Plan: Phase 1 Progress Updates (January–April 2026).” The meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress achieved during the initial phase of the response and to discuss future interventions aimed at supporting children and schools affected by the disaster.

The Prime Minister and the UNICEF delegation also exchanged views on strengthening collaboration to ensure the continuity of education and the well-being of affected children.

The UNICEF delegation included Emma Brigham, UNICEF Representative, Begona Arellano, Deputy Representative, and other UNICEF officials.