Record number of candidates: NEC seeks additional Rs. 1.2 bn for poll

The National Elections Commission has sought the release of an additional Rs 1.2 billion over the Rs 4.5 billion as Presidential election expenses, Commission sources said.

This is in views of the anticipated increase of expenses due to the additional candidates contesting the election. A record 35 candidates are contesting the November 16 poll. It is the highest number since the presidential election was first held in 1982.

The NEC's Director General Saman Ratnayake said that the final cost of the conduct of the Presidential Election was likely to be Rs two billion more than the estimated cost ending

with a Rs six billion bill in view of the extra number of candidates.

He said the election cost hadbeen pushed up due to the need of additional ballot boxes, additional staff, transport, cost of meals and additional security.

The Commission has already requested the Treasury to release an additional Rs 1.2 billion for the expenses in addition to the proposed estimated expenditure of Rs four billion planned earlier, the Sunday Times learns.

As part of the additional expenses, 10,000 more ballot boxes are required for the conduct of the poll. Some of these boxes are to be imported while the others would be made locally.

Mr. Ratnayake explained that in view of the lengthy ballot paper each of the boxes would not be able to hold 400 ballot papers and therefore the NEC would be required to send in more ballot boxes to the booths. “Transporting arrangements will also have to be changed due to the length of the ballot papers. Since more ballot boxes will be needed for particular polling centres, it would mean that the type of vehicle used to transport them to polling centres and then over to counting centres will have to change”, he added.

The cost is also increasing due to the additional space required to accommodate polling agents and counting centre agents with provision for candidates to send in two agents each to a polling booth and five agents each to a counting centre.

In addition, the additional candidates are also adding a burden on the Police as each of the 35 candidates will be allowed to open 12,821 offices island wide.

The highest number of candidates in a previous presidential election was 22 in 2010.