With nominations closing at noon tomorrow for the 16 November presidential election, a record number of 33 candidates have already lined up at the starting line with the last one to pay the deposit, as at Friday (4), being brother of Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Chamal Rajapaksa. Earlier in the day, United National Party (UNP) candidate Sajith Premadasa also paid his deposit through a team of United National Front (UNF) representatives. The unprecedented number of candidates will result in a ballot paper that could be around two feet in length and also cost the Election Commission (EC) an additional billion rupees. This no doubt will be money down the drain as 90% of those contesting would not muster even a thousand votes. This large number would also result in reducing airtime for each candidate on national television to miniscule amounts as all have to be provided equal time. How these 31 candidates will be accommodated in 36 days boggles the mind. The strategy being employed seems to be to prevent one candidate from getting the required 50%+1 of the votes, thereby requiring a count of the second preference. How this is going to be played out remains to be seen as it will be the first time such an event would take place. It is appropriate that the EC explains the procedure that would be adopted in such an eventuality so that ordinary people will be aware of it, thereby preventing unnecessary problems on election day. Given that this will be a highly charged, high-stakes election, it is advisable that every precaution is taken to mitigate the threat of violence. The EC must take the lead in this endeavour so that every voter is aware of the ground rules. Meanwhile, last Friday was quite eventful in Hulftsdorp, where one of the main candidates was made to undergo a test of compliance in accordance with candidate criteria. Although the Court of Appeal decision paved the way for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to contest for the presidency and continue his campaign, questions still remain over his renunciation of American citizenship which will surely be item number one on the opponents’ campaign agenda. The case which was filed by two civil rights activists seemed like a publicity stunt at first and certainly became one during the course of the four-day hearing. As a result of it, Gotabaya was headline news and benefitted from the media coverage and finally the court decision itself helped to lift the campaign. The court decision, just as much as it was a triumph for the Rajapaksa camp, was also a huge plus for the UNP camp as it shone the spotlight on the judiciary and the independence it enjoys today. It is to the credit of the current administration that it has stayed clear of interfering in matters before court, as tempting as it may be, especially in the backdrop of an important election ahead, which no doubt is a welcome departure from past practice. The fact that Chamal Rajapaksa was brought in as a fallback option at the eleventh hour goes to show that neither party was privy to what was coming, further consolidating the independent standing of the judiciary. Meanwhile, despite the petty bickering that was portrayed over the past few weeks, the UNP has at least for the time being come together as a single entity and lined up behind its candidate, who was officially endorsed at the special party convention held last week. Just a couple of weeks ago, nobody would have given the UNP a snowball's chance in hell with what seemed like an imminent break-up of the party due to its perceived inability to field a strong candidate with many aspirants to the post within the party pulling in different directions. Given the deadlock that lasted for a few weeks, doom and gloom was what was in store. However, in a matter of a week, all that has changed. Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has managed to vindicate his style of leadership, which to many seemed like the party's death knell, by using his years of political acumen at just the right time. Up until Friday's court verdict, he seemed to have the upper hand over the competition. The UNP special convention which was organised to endorse Sajith Premadasa as the party's candidate was a huge success personally for the embattled Wickremesinghe, as he managed to have the cake and eat it too. He will now continue as Party Leader into the foreseeable future while also managing to commit Premadasa to the reform agenda. The special resolution passed unanimously at the UNP convention will assure that the party stays committed to the reform process that began in 2015; especially with regard to devolution, electoral reform, and abolition of the executive presidency – all of which should be done with the concurrence of the Prime Minister. There is no doubt that the newfound unity within the party has garnered it much-needed traction and if the current momentum can be maintained for the next 40 days, then a hectic contest is on the cards. It is amusing to see candidates going out of their way to announce that they have agreed on electoral pacts with other parties sans any conditions. It seems the word “condition” is the new dirty word in politics. One of the main candidates waxed eloquent the other day that he will never agree to any conditions from anybody or any party for that matter. Little does he realise that everything that happens around him is conditional. For instance, even the phone he uses to call people is provided to him based on dozens of conditions to which he has agreed. Likewise everything else. This then begs the question as to why political parties forming alliances with other parties should not put forward terms and conditions. For all intents and purposes, conditions exist but talking about them is taboo. Given that a grand alliance consisting of Muslim and Tamil parties is in the making, it is indeed interesting to see what denials on conditions will be proffered by the 33 presidents in waiting, in wooing their support which is critical for victory.