Sri Lanka’s 2024 parliamentary election campaigns have highlighted profound shifts in spending behaviours by both candidates and voters, offering a fascinating glimpse into how campaign strategies and voter priorities have evolved since polls in 2020 which were the focus of WFDs cost of politics in Sri Lanka study. The snap election, which was held on 14 November, has seen a significant departure from the lavish spending and disbursement of material incentives that characterised previous polls. There has been a noticeable decline in the appeal of traditional vote-buying tactics, such as distributing goods, liquor, or other benefits. Instead, candidates who have presented practical solutions to economic challenges and meaningful policy initiatives appear to be gaining favour.
The fact that both the electorate and candidates have shifted towards a more policy-centered, long-term approach to politics is a response to the societal and economic shifts in the country. Sri Lanka’s recent economic crises, largely fuelled by systemic fraud and corruption in the political sphere, were at the heart of popular protests that successfully removed a political dynasty in July 2022. The victory achieved by Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Party (NPP) in the September 2024 presidential election also reflected this growing preference for leaders untainted by political dynasties or entrenched alliances marred by nepotism and inefficiency.
The 2024 presidential poll also saw the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) introduce strict measures to cap expenditure and ensure that it was monitored effectively. Of the 38 candidates who contested for the presidency, 35 complied with the expense reporting requirements set. These reports are currently available for public viewing at the ECSL head office and at district secretariats; a testament to the increased transparency promoted by the commission. And they present an interesting picture.
Runner-up in the presidential election, Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, reported the highest campaign expenditure: LKR1.12 billion (US$3.8 million). By contrast, Dissanayake reported no personal expenses with his campaign expenditure, distributed from through the party’s central fund, totaling LKR528 million (US$1.8 million). His success despite spending just over half as his main competitor illustrates the public’s increased gravitation toward leaders who prioritise integrity, substance, and accountability over extravagant campaigns. This pattern was repeated on 14 November, when ballots were casted in parliamentary polls.
The NPP coalition of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured a commanding supermajority. The 159 seats they won is the highest by any single party since 1977. Whilst across the legislature 21 women were elected - the highest in Sri Lankan parliamentary history - and over 150 fresh faces, the majority under 60, entered the legislature. This outcome is a clear indication that voters are increasingly wary of candidates who had previously prioritised personal gain over public service. Furthermore, the electorate’s disillusionment with corruption appears to have driven them towards candidates who are committed to greater transparency and more focused on highlighting their policy expertise. As a result, a policy-centric, financially restrained approach now appears to be an asset, not a hindrance for aspiring candidates. This reduced reliance on money is also something that ECSL supported through the introduction and enforcement of updated campaign expenditure regulations, adjusted to account for district demographics, for political parties, independent groups, and national list candidates.
A shifting landscape offers an opportunity to significantly reduce the influence of money in politics beyond election campaign periods and in doing so, to foster a political and democratic culture in Sri Lanka where candidates are evaluated on their platforms and policies, not their spending power. Encouraging citizens to continue to scrutinise the use of resources and demand transparency from elected officials is a crucial component of this and can support gradual efforts to deter the corruption and exclusion that have been a feature of Sri Lankan politics in recent years.
Naushalya Rajapaksha is an Attorney-at-Law with more than a decade of experience advocating for youth and women’s rights in Sri Lanka and the author of WFD’s 2023 report ‘The cost of politics in Sri Lanka’.
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Shifting spending patterns: Sri Lanka’s 2024 general elections
Shifting spending patterns: Sri Lanka’s 2024 general elections
Naushalya Rajapaksha
Sri Lanka’s 2024 parliamentary election campaigns have highlighted profound shifts in spending behaviours by both candidates and voters, offering a fascinating glimpse into how campaign strategies and voter priorities have evolved since polls in 2020 which were the focus of WFDs cost of politics in Sri Lanka study. The snap election, which was held on 14 November, has seen a significant departure from the lavish spending and disbursement of material incentives that characterised previous polls. There has been a noticeable decline in the appeal of traditional vote-buying tactics, such as distributing goods, liquor, or other benefits. Instead, candidates who have presented practical solutions to economic challenges and meaningful policy initiatives appear to be gaining favour.
The fact that both the electorate and candidates have shifted towards a more policy-centered, long-term approach to politics is a response to the societal and economic shifts in the country. Sri Lanka’s recent economic crises, largely fuelled by systemic fraud and corruption in the political sphere, were at the heart of popular protests that successfully removed a political dynasty in July 2022. The victory achieved by Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Party (NPP) in the September 2024 presidential election also reflected this growing preference for leaders untainted by political dynasties or entrenched alliances marred by nepotism and inefficiency.
The 2024 presidential poll also saw the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) introduce strict measures to cap expenditure and ensure that it was monitored effectively. Of the 38 candidates who contested for the presidency, 35 complied with the expense reporting requirements set. These reports are currently available for public viewing at the ECSL head office and at district secretariats; a testament to the increased transparency promoted by the commission. And they present an interesting picture.
Runner-up in the presidential election, Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, reported the highest campaign expenditure: LKR1.12 billion (US$3.8 million). By contrast, Dissanayake reported no personal expenses with his campaign expenditure, distributed from through the party’s central fund, totaling LKR528 million (US$1.8 million). His success despite spending just over half as his main competitor illustrates the public’s increased gravitation toward leaders who prioritise integrity, substance, and accountability over extravagant campaigns. This pattern was repeated on 14 November, when ballots were casted in parliamentary polls.
The NPP coalition of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured a commanding supermajority. The 159 seats they won is the highest by any single party since 1977. Whilst across the legislature 21 women were elected - the highest in Sri Lankan parliamentary history - and over 150 fresh faces, the majority under 60, entered the legislature. This outcome is a clear indication that voters are increasingly wary of candidates who had previously prioritised personal gain over public service. Furthermore, the electorate’s disillusionment with corruption appears to have driven them towards candidates who are committed to greater transparency and more focused on highlighting their policy expertise. As a result, a policy-centric, financially restrained approach now appears to be an asset, not a hindrance for aspiring candidates. This reduced reliance on money is also something that ECSL supported through the introduction and enforcement of updated campaign expenditure regulations, adjusted to account for district demographics, for political parties, independent groups, and national list candidates.
A shifting landscape offers an opportunity to significantly reduce the influence of money in politics beyond election campaign periods and in doing so, to foster a political and democratic culture in Sri Lanka where candidates are evaluated on their platforms and policies, not their spending power. Encouraging citizens to continue to scrutinise the use of resources and demand transparency from elected officials is a crucial component of this and can support gradual efforts to deter the corruption and exclusion that have been a feature of Sri Lankan politics in recent years.
Naushalya Rajapaksha is an Attorney-at-Law with more than a decade of experience advocating for youth and women’s rights in Sri Lanka and the author of WFD’s 2023 report ‘The cost of politics in Sri Lanka’.
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