Complications in female, youth representation leads to most rejected nomination lists at LG polls: EC
- CNL Reporter
- March 22, 2025
- Political
- nomination lists
- 0 Comments
Complications in fulfilling the requirements to include stipulated percentages of female and youth representation in lists, as well as lack of supporting documents of the contestants have led to a significant number of nominations lists from every political party getting rejected this time, the Election Commission said.
A number of nominations lists submitted on Thursday by almost every main political party and independent group for 366 bodies countrywide for the upcoming local government elections got rejected by the respective Returning Officers owing to various reasons as reported by the latter to the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL).
When inquired, a senior official of the ECSL told the Daily Mirror that the new regulations of the inclusion of percentages in the female and youth representation in nomination lists as required by the new amendments to the Local Government Elections Act No.17 of 2017 seemed to have baffled many.
According to the amendments a mandatory 25% youth representation is required for every nomination list, whilst a 50% female candidates by the list of proportionate representation.
Chairman ECSL R. M. A. L. Rathnayake told the Daily Mirror that supporting documents like certified birth certificates should be included in every list to state the age of the youth representation and many have either failed to include them or not done it in a proper way.
He said although there was ample time to submit these lists, almost everyone submitted them at the last minute of the deadline leaving no option but to get their lists rejected.
When contacted Director General ECSL Saman Sri Ratnayake told the Daily Mirror out of over 2,900 nominations they received, 400 had been rejected and it is up to the applicants to seek legal interference as the ECSL cannot do anything about it as clearly stated in the act.
The Returning Officer in a particular area has the sole discretion to receive or reject a nomination list and even the commission has no say over it, Ratnayake said.
