Provincial Council elections delayed by electoral system, not funds: Cabinet Spokesman

Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has stated that there are no financial limitations preventing the holding of Provincial Council elections, emphasizing that funds have already been allocated for conducting any election.Minister Jayatissa explained that even if a snap election were to be called, the government has the capacity to allocate the necessary funds. He stressed that the issue surrounding the Provincial Council elections is not related to finances but rather to the electoral system currently in place.According to Minister Jayatissa, the Provincial Council elections can be conducted once the necessary amendments to introduce a new electoral system are passed by Parliament.Previously, the General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Tilvin Silva stated that the Provincial Council elections could not be held due to the ‘Ditwah’ disaster, claiming that funds allocated for the elections had been redirected towards disaster relief efforts.Rejecting this claim, Minister Jayatissa, speaking at a Cabinet decisions briefing held today (14), stated that Rs. 500 billion had been allocated for the ‘Ditwah’ disaster response. He noted that approximately Rs. 260 billion of this allocation has been spent so far, while remaining funds are still available.The Minister further clarified that the allocation of funds for Provincial Council elections has not been affected by expenditure related to the disaster response. He reiterated that the government remains financially capable of conducting elections, including a potential snap general election.“The issue is not financial; the issue is the approval of the electoral system in Parliament. Traditionally, funds have been allocated for all elections. Even if additional funding is required, it can be provided through a supplementary estimate. Therefore, there is no financial obstacle,” Minister Jayatissa said.He added that the cost of conducting an election is significantly lower than the funds allocated for disaster management, noting that previous election allocations were approximately Rs. 6 billion, later increased to Rs. 10 billion, with the estimated maximum cost being around Rs. 15 billion.“Of the Rs. 500 billion allocated for the ‘Ditwah’ disaster, around Rs. 260 billion has already been spent. There is no issue regarding funding. Once the electoral system is approved by Parliament, we are prepared to conduct the election at any time,” the Minister stated.