EC to summon Finance Ministry officials for discussion on funds required for LG polls

Chairman of the Election Commission Nimal G. Punchihewa says that he will summon the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and its officials for a discussion tomorrow (Feb. 16), in order to hold talks on the release of funds required for the upcoming Local Government (LG) election.

The Election Commission chief also pointed out that they are trying to hold the postal voting on previously scheduled dates.

The Government Printer had earlier informed the Election Commission on Monday (Feb. 13) in writing that printing work pertaining to the upcoming LG election cannot be carried out without due payments.

However, the relevant commission announced yesterday that the ballot papers for the postal voting of the 2023 LG election would not be distributed as scheduled due to ‘unavoidable reasons’. The distribution of postal ballots was arranged to be carried out today (Feb. 15).

Against this backdrop, the Election Commission has decided to summon the officials of the Finance Ministry to discuss the release of funds.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission Chairman states that they are making efforts to resolve this issue through negotiations, and if it doesn’t work out, legal actions will be sought.