The Election Commission has instructed all candidates who contested the 2925 Local Government (LG) Elections to submit their campaign income and expenditure reports on or before May 28.
Issuing a statement, the Commission emphasized that candidates are required to prepare and submit their financial disclosures in line with the provisions of the Election Expenditure Regulation Act No. 03 of 2023. These reports must be handed over to the Returning Officers of the respective electoral districts.
Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake stated that this process is part of the Commission’s efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
However, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Election Studies (IRES), Manjula Gajanayake, raised concerns about the enforceability of the law. He pointed out that there remains a significant gap in implementing penalties against candidates who fail to comply with the reporting requirements.
Gajanayake stressed the need for clear legal provisions and mechanisms to take action against non-compliant candidates to uphold the integrity of the election process.
