Manjula Gajanayake, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES), has expressed concerns regarding three candidates who have submitted nominations for the upcoming presidential election but remain largely unaccounted for.
During Ada Derana’s current affairs program “Big Focus,” Gajanayake noted that 39 candidates have entered the presidential race, though one candidate has recently passed away. He raised concerns about the absence of an official replacement for the deceased candidate.
“I see a flaw in the failure to name an official replacement for the candidate who passed away,” Gajanayake remarked. “If the process were well-organized, there would have been a replacement. There should be a ‘Plan A’ and a ‘Plan B.’ The lack of transparency is unacceptable.”
Gajanayake also highlighted issues among the remaining candidates. “Of the 38 remaining candidates, only 15 have organized at least one meeting. Of the 23 who haven’t, none have held even a small meeting with at least 10 people. I stand by this statement; only 15 candidates have held at least a pocket meeting.”
“Upon calling the phone numbers provided to the Election Commission by these candidates, we found that two of the numbers were incorrect, and one candidate simply hung up,” he added.
No Face Book
Additionally, Gajanayake pointed out that five of the 23 candidates do not have a Facebook account. At least three of the candidates have not made any public statements about their candidacy. Despite having signed nomination papers and deposited bonds, they have not introduced themselves as candidates anywhere.
Gajanayake expressed frustration with the challenges faced by relevant authorities in obtaining basic information about these candidates. “We wanted to upload passport-sized photographs of each candidate on our website, but for 24 of the 39 candidates, it has been impossible to even get a picture,” Gajanayake concluded.
