• Elections Commissioner Saman Ratnayake said that they made a request for Rs. 10 billion in August 2023 to conduct a Presidential Election

By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe  

Following a Right to Information request filed to the Elections Commission, the Daily Mirror learnt that the estimated budget to conduct a Presidential Election in 2024 would be around Rs. 9,750,000,000.   

Elections Commissioner Saman Ratnayake said that they made a request for Rs. 10 billion in August 2023 to conduct a Presidential Election and that it was approved from the 2024 budget. “A similar budget is required to conduct a General Election as well,” he added.  

However, at a recent cabinet briefing, Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said that a sum of Rs. 10 billion had been allocated to conduct the Presidential Election and the General Elections in 2024.  

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Minister Gunawardena confirmed that a Presidential Election will definitely be held this year. “But the government doesn’t have adequate funds to conduct two elections,” he added.