Election Commission to be given powers to call for fresh nominations for LG Polls

The Cabinet has passed a proposal which enables calling of fresh nominations for the Local Government election that was postponed, by calling  back the nominations which have already been accepted.

Accordingly the Legal Draftsman has been requested to formulate a draft Bill on Local Government Elections (Special Provisions) which gives powers to the Election Commission to call nominations once again of conducting Local Government Elections based on the electoral register of 2024.

Cabinet Spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardena today briefed journalists regarding the proposal

The Cabinet paper on the subject said :

It is apparent that more than 900,000 newly included voters in the electoral list revised in the year 

2024 are to be deprived of their right to vote and be nominated to be voted at the upcoming local 

government elections due to unprecedented postponement of local government elections 

scheduled to be held on 09.03.2023.

In par with article 4 of the Constitution, although every citizen completed 18 years and included their name in the electoral register after being eligible to be a voter should be able to cast vote, it is apparent that only the voters registered until January 2023 in which the date nominations for local government elections scheduled to be held in the future are eligible to cast votes since the nominations for that election have been called and concluded.

 Furthermore, followed by the passing of Local Government Elections (Amendment) Act No. 30 of 2023, a 25% youth representation should be allowed in the nominations submitted for local government elections.

 However, the compulsory opportunity of 25% of representation of youth community is deprived of by now due to calling nominations in the year 2023.

Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the consolidated proposal furnished by the Prime Minister in his capacity as the Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government with the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional 

Reforms to: 

 Secure the right to cast vote of the voters whose names are included in the electoral register at the local government election which is scheduled to be held in the future but deprived of casting votes;

Secure the rights since fundamental rights of more than 900,000 youth voters whose names are included in the electoral register of 2024 are liable to be deprived of;

Secure the rights of the youth community whose rights would be violated or discriminated due to loss of quota for youth when presenting as a candidate as  per provisions of the Local Government Elections (Amendment) Act No. 30.