No more lavish spending by candidates, Rs.20 per voter or more

10 August 2024 08:13 am Views - 2210

Colombo, August 10 (Daily Mirror) -  Presidential candidates will be barred from lavish spending unchecked this time because the Election Commission is slated to introduce a ceiling on spending on campaigning in respect of each voter according to the new law enacted this time, an official said.

The current Presidential Election is the first to be conducted in terms of the newly introduced Campaign Finance Act.

According to an official of the Election Commission, the amount of money a candidate can spend will be determined in consultations with all contestants after acceptance of nomination on August 15, 2024.

“We might meet immediately after the nomination day and decide on the amount. It is a figure to be calculated after taking stock of current price rates. It is an amount accepted by all the candidates. We will consult all of them,” he said.

He said it would be an amount determined in respect of each vote. When the local authorities’ election was announced last year, it was decided at Rs.20 per voter. The local election was not, however, conducted.

“As far as the Presidential Election is concerned, it will be higher,” he said.

The Commission has also worked out campaign financing guidelines this time for candidates. The presidential poll will be conducted on September 21.