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Election campaigns under strict surveillance; limits to offices and expenses
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R.A.M.L. Rathnayake
By Ishu Bandara
The Election Commission has issued guidelines governing campaign offices for the November 14 general elections.
According to Election Commission Chairman R.A.M.L. Rathnayake, each political party is permitted to set up only one notified central campaign office in each polling division, starting from the first day of nominations, October 4, and ending the day after the election, November 15.
He also said that in each electoral district, political parties are allowed to set up only one notified branch campaign office, starting from the nomination day and closing two days before the elections.
Since the district campaign offices are required to close two days before the election, the EC has granted permission for each political party to set up an additional notified central campaign office in the polling divisions for their candidates. These offices may be set up the day before the election and must be closed after the election (November 13–15).
Additionally, any political party can use a private residence as a campaign office. However, only one such office is permitted per polling division, and it must be set up starting from the day of nominations and closed the day after the election (October 4 to November 15).
These provisions are also in accordance with Section 73 of the Parliamentary Election Act No. 1 of 1981, the EC said.
Permission to set up election campaign offices is granted to the party secretary, authorised persons, the leaders of independent groups, or an agent of an authorised person, the party leader, or a candidate of each political party.
According to Section 15(4), the authorised person is identified as the first name listed on the nomination sheet of the recognised political party or independent group.
In Sri Lanka, starting from Polling Division No. 1, Colombo, and ending with Polling Division No. 22, Kegalle, there are 22 electoral districts and 13,314 polling divisions across the country.
Before political parties set up election campaign offices, they must notify the relevant returning officers, the deputy or assistant election commissioner, and the officer in charge (OIC) of the police about the planned location of the campaign office.
According to Mr. Rathnayake, the party name board, party logo, and candidates’ photos are allowed to be displayed inside the election campaign office area. All campaign boards must be within a 60-square-foot area, and only six flags can be displayed within the campaign office area.
Beyond this, no other decorations are permitted. There is no permission to place decorations across roads, on roads, pavements, or to display posters or cutouts on any walls or electric poles.
The EC has published the financial limits that can be spent by each candidate and political party in terms of the campaign finance law. According to this, the maximum amount that a party can spend in the Gampaha district is Rs. 81,735,055, while the maximum expense limit for a candidate in the Colombo district is Rs. 5,750,000.
In the Vanni district, the minimum expense limits for political parties and candidates are set at Rs. 9,913,964 and Rs. 1,673,243, respectively.
Mr. Rathnayake said postal ballots will be handed over to the post offices by October 23. The first phase of postal voting will take place on October 30 and November 4 for District Secretariat staff, Election Commission members, and police officers.
The second phase of postal voting will begin on November 1 and continue on November 4 for all other sectors of government and the armed forces. If someone misses the opportunity to mark their postal vote, additional dates will be provided on November 7 and 8, according to Mr. Rathnayake.
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