Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
Presidential Election Act to be amended
The Justice Ministry has initiated action yesterday to amend the Presidential Election Act to limit the number of contestants in the future.
Ministry Secretary J.J. Ratnasiri told Daily Mirror the highest ever number of candidates contested the November 16 presidential election resulting in a 24-inches long ballot paper and a huge cost for the government to conduct the polls.
“We instructed the Legal Draftsman’s Department to draft the amendment to the Presidential Elections Act in consultation with the Election Commission. When there are so many candidates, the costs skyrocket with the government having to meet the heavy costs,” he said.
Mr. Ratnasiri said 35 candidates contested the November 16 election with only one other candidate -- apart from the three main candidates polling -- more than 50,000 votes.
He said the Ministry would draft amendments to other election laws as well with the intention of clearing any bottlenecks.(Kelum Bandara)
Comments - 4
Recommended
You May Also Like
Trending
