A Presidential candidate can spend only Rs.109 per voter – EC decides

• Special formula used to calculate the stipulated figure from the candidate proposals of 50 cents to Rs.1,000
• Gazette notification sent to Govt. Printer last evening
• The majority of leading candidates have proposed from Rs.100, Rs.200 and Rs.300

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana

A candidate running for the 2024 Presidential Election is lawfully entitled to spend up to Rs.109 per each and every registered voter in the country as decided by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka, which was to be officially announced midnight yesterday, the Daily Mirror learns.

A top official of the Commission told the Daily Mirror last evening that the commission had arrived at the decision after considering the amount generated from a special formula they used to calculate the figure.

Thus, the amount a candidate should spend on the voters could be determined by multiplying the stipulated amount of Rs.109 from the number of registered voters in Sri Lanka, the official said.

When the stipulated amount was multiplied by the estimated number of registered voters in the 2019 Presidential Election, which was 15,992,096 (15.9 million) a single candidate could spend up to Rs.1.74 billion and the overall amount could be spent by all 39 candidates would be more than Rs.68 billion. 

The commission has decided on the amount of voter expense through the special formula, which had been fed on a number of suggestions of voter expenses as put forward by each and every 39 candidates.

The Presidential candidates at a special meeting held with the Election Commission last week submitted their proposals for expenses for each voter ranging from 50 cents to Rs.1,000. The majority of leading candidates have proposed from Rs.100, Rs.200 and Rs.300.

The Commission had sent the special gazette notification to the Government Printer last evening for printing and publication, the Daily Mirror learns.