Colombo, Aug. 5 -- The cost of security paper used for ballot paper printing has increased fourfold compared to 2019 when the last Presidential Election was conducted and therefore it is economically beneficial for the country to have a minimum number of candidates in the fray, two sources said.

A source from the Department of Government Printing said that there were 36 candidates last time and it resulted in the ballot paper being as long as 27 inches. According to the source, security paper materials cost Rs.300,000 a tonne at that time and it has increased fourfold today.

"We never know the exact number of candidates this time. The lesser the number of candidates, the shorter the ballot paper is. Then it is cost-effective for the gov...