Interviews for new political parties applying for registration for this year have commenced, according to the Election Commission (EC).

Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake noted that 47 political parties had been selected for preliminary interviews. 

Applications for registering political parties for 2025 were called in February, during which a total of 83 applications were submitted. Out of these, 36 were rejected due to their failure to meet basic requirements, according to Ratnayake. 

Accordingly, preliminary interviews are currently being conducted for the remaining 47 applications. Political parties selected from these initial interviews will be invited to a second round of interviews. Following the second round, those parties that qualified would be officially registered as new political parties for 2025, the EC confirmed.

At present, there are 86 recognised political parties in Sri Lanka.