• EC awaiting response from Treasury on request to release funds for ballot paper printing, to discuss with Treasury Secy. 

The Election Commission (EC) yesterday (15) said that it has no power to summon Government Printer Gangani Liyanage as has been demanded by the Opposition, but noted that she can be called for discussions. 

When queried by The Daily Morning as to whether the EC can summon the Government Printer, its Chairman, Attorney Nimal G. Punchihewa said: “We can call for discussions, but we do not have the power to summon her.”

He further stated that the EC is still awaiting a response to the letter written by him to the Treasury requesting to release funds to print ballot papers for postal voting. 

Meanwhile, the EC will hold discussions with the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury Mahinda Siriwardana, and its officials in order to release the funds required for the upcoming Local Government (LG) election. Due to delays that occurred in the distribution of ballot papers for postal voting, the EC on Tuesday (14) wrote to Siriwardana to release funds to print ballot papers for the same, as a total sum of Rs. 460 million is required to print ballot papers for the entire LG poll. Punchihewa said: “We sent a letter to Siriwardana on Tuesday expecting a response very soon to commence the work. We have postponed the distribution of ballot papers for postal voting but not the voting dates. There are no changes in the postal voting dates. The Treasury had not given funds to print the ballot papers. That is the problem.” When queried as to whether there would be any delays in the postal voting, he said: “No. There are only changes in the date of distributing the ballot papers.”

The postal voting for the LG poll is scheduled to be held from 22-24 February.

Meanwhile, the Government Printer has informed the EC in writing that the printing of ballot papers for the upcoming LG election cannot proceed sans the funds being released. Therefore, the distribution of ballot papers for postal voting scheduled to be held yesterday was postponed indefinitely. 

Earlier, the EC wrote to the Ministry of Finance to release Rs. 770 million as the election expenditure for the month of February.