A new Draft Bill to impose a ceiling on the amount that can be spent by political parties and candidates for election campaigning is to be circulated among all political parties, the Bar Association and other professional associations in January.
The election watchdog PAFFREL is presently involved in drafting the new legislation. People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said the Draft Bill on ‘Campaign Finance Upper Limitation for Elections’ would be finalised and handed over to the Cabinet Sub-committee which is working on the Amendments to the Local Government Act.
Speaking to the Daily News, he said the legislation would impose limitations on the expenditure of election propaganda activities depending on the number of voters in each constituency.
“The proposal is to set the upper limit as Rs 100 per voter, but this has not been finalised yet,” he said.
He said several rounds of consultative meetings have been held in this regard, adding that another consultative meeting with the LG representatives would be held on December 19.
He said the PAFFREL was asked to come up with a Draft Bill for this purpose by Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha when they participated in a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee last September.