INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
registered voters, and Kurunegala District has 1,417,226 voters
The Northern Province has a combined total of 899,268 registered voters.Voting will take place at 13,421 polling stations across the island
National Identity Card (NIC)2
Public Service Retirement ID5
Confirmation letter of NIC information8
Temporary ID card issued by the Election Commission for disabled persons9
Temporary ID card issued by the Election Commission for othersThe Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake explaining how the
said.He further emphasized that mobile phones are prohibited inside polling stations.The process of transporting ballot boxes from the
counting centers to polling stations had commenced last morning under tight security
election.Domestic and international observers will be present to monitor the voting process
A total of 63,000 police officers have been deployed to ensure security throughout the election.Additionally, the Election Commission has
announced guidelines regarding leave for public and private sector employees to allow them to vote
km.Large numbers of voters were seen gathering at Colombo Central Bus Station, Private Bus Station, Fort Railway Station, and Makumbura
Multimodal Transport Center since yesterday, preparing to travel to their respective hometowns to cast their votes.A large number of
international election observers including from the European Union (EU) and Commonwealth observers, working across various teams, have also
been set up across the country for over 17 million registered voters and they will choose among 38 presidential candidates, the largest ever
such pool in the history of the country.Of the registered voters, more than 700 thousand qualify for advance voting - referred to as postal
voting, the purpose of which is to allow eligible voters who cannot vote in person on election day to cast their ballots.The President of
Sri Lanka is elected using a preferential voting system, whereby voters can rank up to three candidates in order of preference
If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the total valid votes in the first count, all candidates except the top two are
eliminated, and the candidate with the most overall votes in the second round of counting is then declared the winner.If no candidate gets
50 percent plus one vote in the polls, the Election Commission will invoke the legal provision for a run-off between the two
front-runners.The winning candidate is likely to take oath by Sunday evening or Monday and later form the cabinet of ministers.The election
also coincides with International Peace Day, emphasising the importance of peaceful voting.The election assumes enormous significance since
Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned following a popular uprising against them leading to incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe getting elected as
Inflation soared to 70%, the rupee depreciated 45% and the economy shrank by 7.3%, forcing the government to seek a International Monetary
Fund bailout.Aided by a bailout package from the IMF and Indian assistance have brought down the inflation and prices of essential
commodities, but economic issues continue to dominate the minds of the voters.Although inflation cooled to 0.5% last month and GDP is
get to opportunity to choose among a record 38 candidates in fray though the contest is likely to narrow down between incumbent President
and independent candidate Ranil Wickremasinghe, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), and National People
moment with all candidates previously experiencing setbacks in the parliamentary polls.A good voter turnout is expected, in line with Sri
The last presidential poll in 2019 saw a voter turnout of 83.72 per cent.Widely considered a watershed election for the citizens of the
island, it will not only elect the ninth Executive President but also a leader who they think will continue to steer the country out of its
