Election Expenditure Bill to be presented to Parliament soon

The proposed ‘Regulation of Election Expenditure Bill’ has made it compulsory for candidates to submit details of all donations    or contributions accepted or received by them, or on behalf of them, within 21-days of the date of election results. The long overdue Bill to regulate campaign finances was published in the Gazette last week on the orders of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Minister Dr.Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe. The draft Bill applies to the Local Government Elections, Provincial Council Elections, General Election and the Presidential Election.

The above information together with all expenses incurred by candidates, or on behalf of them, should be submitted to the returning officer of the respective area, or to the Election Commission (in the case of a Presidential Election).

The details of expenditure incurred by the candidate, or on behalf him/her, whether paid or unpaid for, should include expenses for print materials such as posters, handbills, newspaper advertisements, expenses for advertisements in the radio and television, expenses for the hiring or use of any premises or equipment for the holding of meetings, expenses for the hiring of vehicles for activities relating to such election, and the provision of fuel for the running of those vehicles.

However, according to the draft Bill, the expenditure incurred for the transport of the candidate within the area for which the election is being held, and the stationery, telephone or other means of communication, needs not be included in the declaration.

All expenditure details must be submitted together with bills and receipts, and the names and addresses of the persons from whom such services were obtained. If the above services were obtained without payment, that has to be mentioned too.

Any person can inspect the expenditure declarations of candidates at a specified time and place declared by the respective returning officers.

The ceiling limit of expenditure for candidates will be announced by the Election Commission, after the conclusion of the nomination period of each election, in consultation with recognized political parties, independent groups and other candidates contesting in it. The ceiling limit will depend upon the total number of registered voters in the electoral area for which the election is conducted. It is an offence to incur expenditure in excess of the authorized amount.

The draft Bill has also barred the candidates from accepting or receiving donations or contributions, in cash or kind, from any public institution, foreign government, international organization or body corporate incorporated or registered outside Sri Lanka. They cannot also receive donations or contributions from companies, where the foreign shareholding is fifty percent or above, or any person, whose identity is not disclosed. The Bill will be presented for the First Reading in Parliament at a future date.