SLPI, Election Commission hold program on ‘Regulation of Election Expenditure Act’ for journalists

From left: Electoral Dispute Resolution Deputy Election Commissioner Piyumi Atigala, Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Rathnayaka, Additional Election Commissioner – Legal and Investigations Lawyer Chinthaka Kularatne, and Director – Research and Planning Channa de Silva 

The Sri Lanka Press Institute along with the Election Commission of Sri Lanka held a program on Monday 8 July, in Colombo, to enlighten journalists on the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act. 

The program was attended by journalists, representatives of media organisations, and civil society organisations. The program was opened by SLPI CEO Kumar Lopez, who highlighted the importance of understanding campaign financing and the laws which govern it. 

A speaker of the program was Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Rathnayaka, who talked about the importance and the purpose of the Act, the importance of monitoring and regulating money that goes into campaigning in order to ensure equal opportunity to candidates in the political arena and to ensure transparency. He further acknowledged that although there are shortcomings in the Act, it provides a legal basis for the regulation of election expenses and draws attention to transparency in campaign financing and allows stakeholders to engage in dialogue on the issue, particularly in election reporting. 

The Commissioner General was followed by Additional Election Commissioner – Legal and Investigations Chinthaka Kularatne who discussed the contents of the Act and went into detail on key sections of the Act as well as how the allowable amount for local governments and political parties is calculated. Subsequently Director – Research and Planning Channa de Silva explained the different institutions involved in the implementation of the Act and their responsibilities. Following which, Electoral Dispute Resolution Deputy Election Commissioner Piyumi Atigala discussed the responsibilities of the media in reaching citizens at the ground level as well as the responsibilities of citizens in educating themselves on the elections and voting. 

The program highlighted the different aspects of the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act No. 3 of 2023 and the responsibilities of different institutions in its fulfilment. It further highlighted the importance of voter education and the role played by the media and journalists in ensuring that the public is informed about the Act and playing a key role in its implementation.