President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake has instructed the Election Commission to draw up a mechanism to reduce the time spent on elections from the time nominations are accepted till polling day.
According to the instructions by the President’s Secretary to the Commission including the Chairman of the Election Commission R.M.L. Ratnayake, the mechanism should be drawn up by taking examples from countries with advanced electoral systems including Europe.
Since Sri Lanka takes a long time to hold elections, the President’s Secretary said that money is wasted due to the prolonged election period and added that when an election is declared, the entire Government machinery spends time, labour and money on it. He said that it is an obstacle to maintain the normal life of the people.
To overcome this situation and prepare a formal short election system, the President’s Secretary Ekanayake has told officials of the Election Commission that they should go to the countries with advanced electoral systems in Europe and conduct a study and submit an investigative report. He has said that facilities for the purpose can be provided through the Presidential Secretariat.
The President’s Secretary has also informed the Election Commission officials to get ready for the related investigation immediately as he could provide the facilities in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.