COLOMBO, Oct 11 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka’s Elections Commission said, the ballot paper for the upcoming presidential elections would be 26 inches (66 cm), the longest in Sri Lankan history, due to a record number of 35 candidates running for presidency.
Local media reports, quoting Elections Commissioner, Mahinda Deshapriya, said that, the ballot paper would incur additional printing costs, and bigger ballot boxes would have to be set up, in all voting centres across the island country, to store the longer ballot papers.
According to the Elections Commission, this year’s number of candidates tops the previous record of 22 candidates, who took part in the 2010 election.
Nearly 16 million, out of Sri Lanka’s total population of 21 million will be eligible to vote, which will be held on Nov 16.
The candidates running for presidency this year include Sajith Premadasa, who is the presidential candidate of the ruling United National Front, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is the presidential candidate of the main opposition, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, and Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, from the minority Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.
Sajith Premadasa is the deputy leader of the United National Party, which is the largest party in the ruling United National Front Alliance, while Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the brother of former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa and he served as the defence secretary in the previous government.
Sri Lanka’s presidential polls are set nearly two months before the incumbent’s term ends.– NNN-XINHUA