• EC to notify all relevant institutions   

The Election Commission (EC) stated that it would notify the relevant institutions to implement all sudden salary increases and subsidies after the day of the Presidential Election, 21 September.

Ahead of the Presidential Election, the Government has currently announced salary increases, and other forms of subsidies including those for farmers and fishers.

When queried by The Daily Morning as to whether the Government would be allowed to execute any such decision, EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that such decisions made suddenly would not be allowed to be implemented until the end of the Presidential Election. 

“The Government can come up with proposals. However, whenever they are going to implement them, we ask them not to do so until 21 September.” He further said that there would be no issue in executing programmes that have been planned for a considerable period of time. 

“What we ask is not to stop these programmes, but to delay them by one month. If something has been planned for a period of time, they can be implemented,” he said.

A total of 39 candidates are running for the Presidential Election scheduled for 21 September. Of them, President and independent Presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe is often accused by the Opposition of using his Presidential and Ministerial powers, and State resources such as the Presidential Secretariat with the alleged intention of securing more votes.

Over the years, politicians in Sri Lanka have developed a reputation for distributing various forms of assistance and incentives to the public in the lead-up to elections. These actions are timed to coincide with their election campaigns, targeting voters in a bid to secure their support. These giveaways range from financial aid and subsidies to material goods, all aimed at swaying public opinion and bolstering their chances of victory.