Seventeen political parties and five independent candidates have paid their deposits when the Sri Lankan Elections Department closed its counter to accept the same Wednesday noon. The nominations will be accepted from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon on Thursday. The qualified candidates to contest the forthcoming presidential election, scheduled to be held on January 26, would be announced by the SL Commissioner of Elections after 1:00 p.m. Thursday, spokesman of the department told media.
Among the party candidates, deposits were paid on behalf of incumbent SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa (United People’s Freedom Alliance), General (retd) Sarath Fonseka (New Democratic Front), Wickremabahu Karunaratne (New Left Front), Siritunga Jayasuriya (United Socialist Party), Wije Dias (Socialist Equality Party), Battaramulle Seelaratna Thera (Jana Setha Peramuna), Sarath Manamendra (New Sihala Urumaya), M.B. Thaminimulla (Okkoma Wesiyo Okkoma Rajawaru Sanvidanaya), J.A. Peter Nelson Perera (Sri Lanka Pragathiseeli Peramuna).
A.P.S.A. Liyanage, Asala Suraweera, Dr. I.M. Illiyas and TNA MP M.K. Sivajilingam have paid their deposits as independent candidates.
15 candidates is the highest number in the history of presidential elections in Sri Lanka. In 1982 there were only six candidates whereas in 1988 the number went down to three. Six candidates contested for the presidency in 1994. 13 contested in 1999 and fifteen in 2005.
The Presidential election 2010 will be conducted according to the Electoral Register – 2008. Thus, 14,088,500 registered voters will cast their vote in 160 Polling Divisions in 10,875 Polling Districts (Polling Station Areas), 14,093 Grama Niladhari Divisions and 333 Divisional Secretariats. According to the register, there are 4,612,200 registered households. Nearly 13.88% registered voters are without Sri Lankan National Identity Card numbers.
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