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Tighter scrutiny of 47 vying for political party status, 36 tossed aside
View(s):By Ishu Bandara
New political parties aiming to register this year will undergo a second round of interviews expected to end this month, the Election Commission said.
A five-member panel is doing the evaluations.
Registration of new political parties for 2025 began February 28, with applications accepted until March 28. This annual process was delayed after the declaration of local government elections earlier in the year.
Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake told the Sunday Times that the EC received 83 applications. Of these, 36 were rejected for not meeting basic requirements, leaving 47 to move forward to the formal evaluation stage.
He said that a five-member panel is holding the second round of interviews for the 47 shortlisted applicants, focusing on several key areas. Recommendations will be made to the EC.
When asked by the Sunday Times about the large number of registered political parties in Sri Lanka, currently totalling 86, Mr. Ratnayake said that while the number is high, the commission must hold annual registration calls to ensure fairness. He emphasised that the evaluation process is now being given more focus, so that only parties that can make a meaningful contribution to the country’s politics are approved.
Deputy Commissioner of the Election Commission’s Legal Division, Chinthaka Kularathne, told the Sunday Times that the panel is checking important aspects when selecting new political parties. These include office bearers, women’s participation, party constitution, policies, audited financial reports for the past four years, and activity reports.
He said the final number of parties to be approved is still uncertain, noting that it could be all 47 or even none. The panel’s recommendations will then be sent to the Election Commission, which has the final authority.
Mr Kularathne also said many applications came from plantation areas, Muslim groups, youth-led parties, as well as Tamil and Sinhala parties. He stressed that even well-known figures applying for registration will not get special treatment.
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