The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence critically engages with the election observation processes in Sri Lanka and has been simultaneously contributing to the electoral reform process in the country. As part of all these functions, CMEV has initiated a series of discussions with the intention of enhancing an island wide public discourse on “Limitations on Campaign Finance and the Disclosure of Assets and Liabilities” in partnership with International Idea.
Therefore, while contributing to the said initiative, CMEV organized a series of discussions in national universities and the initial event was successfully held in University of Peradeniya recently. The notable feature of this workshop was the participation of more than 75 women who are following a diploma course on empowering women on politics in partnership with Ministry of Women & Child affairs. Further Dr. Vijaya Jayathilake, Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Kamala Liyanage and several other lecturers and students attended this program. Deputy Commissioner of Local Government (retired) Mr. N. A. Dharmasiri and National Coordinator of CMEV Manjula Gajanayake were the speakers of this discussion.
The objective of this workshop series was to encourage the involvement of university community towards introducing a campaign finance law which is still not exposed. The Delhi Declaration is also a leading source of this discussion as it is a basic document explaining principles on Political Finance Regulation. It is a followed up document with the agreement of Elections Management Bodies (EMBs) and other vigilant groups in South Asia initiated by International IDEA, who together with the Electoral Commission of India, helped to create the New Delhi Declaration; a set of political finance standards and guidelines developed for the South Asian region which was launched in December 2015.
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