Difficult to release funds : Finance Ministry informs EC

February 17, 2023 at 5:04 PM

The Secretary to the Ministry of Finance has informed the National Election Commission of being unable to provide the necessary funds to conduct the Local Government polls.

The National Election Commission said the Finance Ministry Secretary has stated that providing funds for the elections will be difficult due to the current financial situation.

The Finance Ministry Secretary has also pointed out the administrative decision taken by the government to allocate funds only to maintain essential services. 

Earlier today, the National Election Commission also announced the postponement of postal voting for the Local Government elections. 

The Commission stated that the casting of postal votes for the Local Government elections which were scheduled for the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 28th of February has been postponed. 

The Election Commission further stated that new dates for the casting of postal votes in the Local Government polls will be announced later.

The Commission has revealed that the casting of postal votes has been postponed due to not receiving postal ballot papers from the Government Printers.

Government Printer Gangani Liyanage has revealed that her institution is unable to print the ballot papers as sufficient funds have not been provided for the purpose. (NewsWire)