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In capital contest, some well-worn upper case names
View(s):By Ishu Bandara
The battle for the mayor’s seat in Colombo is expected to be highly competitive, with several well-known figures in the fray at the local government election.
Former mayors, key political figures, and even individuals completely outside of politics are set to contest under big political parties, the Sunday Times learns.
JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva announced last week that Vraie Cally Balthazar, an executive committee member of the National People’s Power (NPP), will be the party’s mayoral candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council.
General Secretary of SJB, Ranjith Maddumabandara said former minister Eran Wickramaratne’s name is being considered along with a few other prominent names. “ We are still reviewing the options and have not made a final decision yet.”
Mujibur Rahman, the SJB deputy general secretary, told The Sunday Times: “There are a few names being considered for mayor. The party is still reviewing them, but within a day or two, we will finalise our candidate.”
An SJB source said that three names are being considered and a former mayor and a prominent businessman’s name is in the mix.
Ex-mayor Rosy Senanayake, the first female to have the job at the CMC, politician Azath Salley who was deputy mayor in the early 2000s are among those being considered by the United National Party.
Commenting on SLPP’s key nominee, the party’s General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said: “We have a candidate in mind, but we are not ready to disclose it just yet. By Monday, we will make an official announcement. We are in discussions with the selected individual, and most likely, we will be able to confirm the decision by then.”
All big parties are wrapping up their nominations at the weekend.
Mr Maddumabandara, told the Sunday Times that the party will contest all 339 local government councils. Some members from other parties have already joined and will contest under the symbol of the telephone, he said.
Lasantha Alagiyawanna of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a former minister, told the Sunday Times: “We are definitely submitting our list under the symbol of the ‘chair’ for the Colombo District, and we will also contest 300 local government councils under the same symbol. For the Northern and Eastern Provinces, we are aligned with Douglas Devananda, Mr. Veerendran, Mr. Musharaq, and Mr. Nazeer Ahamed under their respective political parties.”
“We have not yet named a specific candidate for mayor. As a policy, we usually nominate the candidate who secures the highest percentage of votes nationwide. However, for Colombo, we plan to announce our candidate after submitting the nomination on March 17.”
Meanwhile under the leadership of Patali Champika Ranawaka, a team of contestants from the United Republic Front ( URF) signed and submitted their nominations for the Colombo District under the ‘Pencil’ symbol on March 15 at the party’s main office.
Mr. Ranawaka stated that they are contesting in districts across the entire country but only in selected local government institutions.
Meanwhile, the election date is set to be announced around 2 pm on March 20, immediately after nominations close.
Election Commission Director General Saman Sri Rathnayake told the Sunday Times that he needs up to 49 days to finalise preparations.
After the nominations close at noon on March 20, the EC has 35 to 49 days to determine the polling date.
According to Mr. Rathnayake, this timeframe is necessary to officially confirm the nominated candidates and publish the final list, print and distribute ballot papers for all 339 local government bodies, and ensure postal voting facilities for eligible public servants and the security services.
Additionally, it allows time for assigning and training election officers, polling station staff, and observers, deploying election materials, setting up polling stations, and coordinating with the police for security.
Voter education campaigns will help to inform people about election procedures, polling stations, and voting rules, among other essentials.
In Sri Lanka, voter registration is governed by the Registration of Electors Act, No. 44 of 1980 and its subsequent amendments. Accordingly, for the 2025 local government election, the 2023 voter registration list will be used.
However, to ensure that newly eligible 18 plus youth are included, the Election Commission has done three supplementary registrations for 2025. A total of 155,976 new youth voters were added to the electoral register in 2024, bringing the total number of eligible voters to 17,296,330, according to an EC official who spoke to the Sunday Times.
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