Female, youth quota issues lead to rejection of most LG nominations: EC

• Lack of supporting documents like correctly certified  birth certificates to indicate age was a significant reason 
• Most parties submitted their lists at the last minute

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

Complications in fulfilling the requirements to include  stipulated percentages of female and youth representation in lists, as  well as lack of supporting documents of the contestants have led to a  significant number of nomination lists from every political party getting rejected this time, the Election Commission said.  

A number of nominations lists submitted on Thursday by  almost every main political party and independent group for 366 bodies  countrywide for the upcoming local government elections got rejected by  the respective Returning Officers owing to various reasons as reported  by the latter to the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL).

When inquired, a senior official of the ECSL told the Daily  Mirror that the new regulations of the inclusion of percentages in the  female and youth representation in nomination lists as required by the  new amendments to the Local Government Elections Act No.17 of 2017  seemed to have baffled many.   

According to the amendments a mandatory 25% youth  representation is required for every nomination list, whilst a 50%  female candidates by the list of proportionate representation.   

Chairman ECSL R. M. A. L. Rathnayake told the Daily Mirror  that supporting documents like certified birth certificates should be  included in every list to state the age of the youth representation and  many have either failed to include them or not done it in a proper way.     

He said although there was ample time to submit these  lists, almost everyone submitted them at the last minute of the deadline  leaving no option but to get their lists rejected.   

When contacted Director General ECSL Saman Sri Ratnayake  told the Daily Mirror out of over 2,900 nominations they received, 400  had been rejected and it is up to the applicants to seek legal  interference as the ECSL cannot do anything about it as clearly stated  in the act.   

The Returning Officer in a particular area has the sole  discretion to receive or reject a nomination list and even the  commission has no say over it, Ratnayake said.