Awareness & Advocacy

Publicity Campaign on Election Campaign Expenses Regulations

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Campaign Finance Regulation.

CMEV launched a publicity campaign on the newly introduced Election Campaign Expenses Regulation from Ratnapura and Balangoda towns. The objective of the campaign was to make citizens aware of new regulations to limit election campaign expenditure with the support of women, youth and PWD groups. The campaign included public announcements, street dramas, video shows, banner displays and leaflet dissemination.  Ratnapura and Balangoda publicity events received a high public attraction. This program is expected to cover around 20 cities in Sabaragamuwa, Uva, Southern, Western, Eastern and Northern provinces. 

Ratnapura Event 01 video – https://fb.watch/iO7CfYYhPL/

Ratnapura Event 02 video – https://fb.watch/iO7AvZDIMJ/

Publicity campaign on Campaign and Political Finance

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Campaign Finance Regulation.

Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) will be conducting a Publicity campaign from 19th of February 2023 onwards on Campaign and Political Finance in order to make awareness among the general public about campaign and political finance for the empowerment of inclusive democracy in Sri Lanka.

Interactive awareness sessions , Leaflet distributions and public dramas will be conducted on selected cities throughout the Island. The public will be made aware of the importance of regulation of campaign finance and also the newly enacted act on Regulation of Election expenditure.

19th of February – Rathnapura & Balangoda

20th of February – Badulla & Bandarawela

21st of February – Nuwaraeliya & Kotagala

25th of February – Galle , Mathara , Puttalam & Kalpitiya

26th of February – Hambantota, Vavuniya , Mullaitivu & Kilinochchi

27th of February – Negombo , Jaffna  &  Chavakachcheri

01st of March – Batticaloa & Kattankudy

02nd of March – Colombo

Conference on newly enacted Election Campaign Finance Regulations Act

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Campaign Finance Regulation, Events and tagged , .

Centre for Monitoring Election Violence together with Transparency International Sri Lanka conducted a conference on newly enacted Election Campaign Finance Regulations act with the participation of civil society representatives , Social and Political Activists and other interested parties.

Hon Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha ( Ministry of Justice ,Prison and constitutional reforms ) ,Mr Anthony Banbury (President and CEO of IFES) Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu (Co-Converner-CMEV) ,Mr Mahinda Deshapriya (Chairmen ,NDC)  , Ms Sankhitha Gunarathne (Deputy Excecutive Director – TISL) were the keynote speakers while Mr Saman Sri Ratnayaka ( Commissioner General – EC) , Ms Silja Pasilinna (Chief of Party, IFES) Mohamed Ziyad(TISL), Hareendra Banagala AAL, Anuradha Kandanage AAL,joined the panel discussion which was facilitated by Mr Luwie Ganeshathasan.

Mr Saman Sri Ratnayaka revealed that the above act will be in power from this election onwards where the individuals and the parties will have to disclose their audited election expense reports to the elections commission. Mr Deshapriya emphasized on the fact of importance of using a digitalized platform to collect above data and also appreciated the efforts of the former and current election commissions and civil societies for their efforts on making this bill a reality. Minister Wijeyadasa Rakapakshe mentioned that the government did not have any intention of using this bill to postpone the elections while they are looking forward to bring in more amendments to the elections act in order to strengthen the election finance regulation laws.

It was highlighted on the importance of the engagement of public and activists in order to keep improving the newly enacted act to ensure the atmosphere for fair elections.

GEWG Appeals to Political Parties to Nominate Women to Contest Local Council Elections

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Interviews, Press Conference.

CMEV together with the Gender and Election Working Group(GEWG) conducted a press conference on 09 January 2023 to request all political parties to ensure better representation and safer participation for women in Local Government Elections. D.M. Dissanayake, Chief of Operation, CMEV stated that Sri Lanka is still considered a country with a lower women’s representation in politics according to the world classification in 2022 by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Global Gender Gap index in 2021. Still, the 25% women quota introduced in 2017 has not been able to fulfil the expected participation of women in politics.

Ms Kanaka Abeygunawaradana, Convener of the GEWG pointed out that women’s representation is still limited to the legal requirement of the nomination process. Most of the women who contested in the last LG elections entered into politics as they were relatives of male politicians or close friends of party officials. She urged all political parties to give priority to active and capable women at the village level to include in nomination lists.  Ms Abeygunawardana further emphasized that political parties should take necessary actions to prevent any illegal, unethical and seriously flawed practices such as asking for sexual bribes, support for some other male candidates’ campaigns or resigning after the election to give the seat to a senior person/male in the party. Ms Nalini Rathnarajah, a member of the GEWG, pointed out various forms Gender Based Violence that take place during the time of the election.

Ms Nanda Kumarihami represented Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) emphasized the issues persons with disabilities face within the electoral process and the importance of electoral systems and processes being inclusive and responsive to their needs and requirements. She addressed the press conference with the sign language facility. 

Training for Youth, Women and Members of Other
Marginalized Communities on Regulating Political Finance
for the Empowerment of Inclusive Democratic Process in
Sri Lanka

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Events.

Centre for Monitoring Election Violence and Janavaboda Kendraya conducted a one-day discussion with youths, women and members of PWD organisations on the impact of the unavailability of Campaign Finance regulations for women, youth and PWDs participation in politics on November 19, 2022, at Janavaboda Kendraya. Empowering youth, women and PWDs for advocacy campaigns on regulating campaign finance was the main objective of the discussion. Mr Jayantha Dehiattage AAL and DM Dissanayake, Chief of Operation at CMEV were facilitators of the discussion.  

ස්වේච්ඡා ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදී ප්‍රවර්ධකයෙකු වී මැතිවරණ අධ්‍යයන පාඨමාලාවකට ඇතුල්වන්න

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Documents and tagged .

මැතිවරණ අධ්‍යයන හා ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රිවාදය බලගැන්වීම පිළිබඳ සහතිකපත්‍ර පාඨමාලාවක් සඳහාමැතිවරණ ප්‍රචණ්ඩ ක්‍රියා නිරීක්ෂණ මධ්‍යස්ථානය (CMEV) ඒ සඳහා උනන්දුවක් ඇති තරුණ තරුණියන්ගෙන් අයදුම්පත් කැඳවනු ලැබේ.

තරඟකාරී තෝරාගැනීමේ ක්‍රම වේදයකින් පසු තරුණ තරුණියන් 240 දෙනෙකුට නොමිලයේ මෙම පාඨමාලාව හැදෑරීමට අවස්ථාව හිමිවනු ඇත.

උනන්දුවක් දක්වන අයදුම්කරුවන්ට පහත QR කේතයෙන් හෝ ඉහත දක්වා ඇති සබැඳියෙන් ප්‍රවේශ වී ගූගල් පෝරමය පුරවා හෝ පිටු 2 ක් නොයික්මවන ජීව දත්ත සටහන සහ සංක්‍ෂිප්ත කැමැත්ත ප්‍රකාශ කිරීමේ ලිපියක් පහත ඊ මේල් ලිපිනයට 2022 සැප්තැම්බර් 30 දිනට පෙර එවීමෙන් අයදුම් කළ හැක.

පහත ක්‍රම තුලින් අයදුම් කරන්න

ගූගල් පෝරමය සබැඳිය: https://forms.gle/br97hfKc2nAudbxw5

විද්‍යුත් තැපෑල: cmev@cpalanka.org වෙත යොමු කරන්න

ஜனநாயகத்தை உயர்த்தும் ஒரு தொண்டராய், தேர்தல் பாடநெறிகள் தொடர்பான ஒரு கற்கைநெறியினை பெற்றிட

Posted on by in Archives, Awareness & Advocacy, Documents and tagged .

தேர்தல் வன்முறைகளைக் கண்காணிப்பதற்கான நிலையத்தினால்(CMEV), தேர்தல் பாடநெறிகள் மற்றும் ஜனநாயகத்தை வலுப்படுத்தல் தொடர்பான சான்றிதழ் கற்கைநெறியில் இணைந்து கொள்ளவதற்கு ஆர்வமுள்ள இளையோரிடமிருந்து விண்ணப்பங்கள் வரவேற்படுகின்றன.

போட்டித்தெரிவு முறைமையினூடாக தெரிவுசெய்யப்படும் 240 விண்ணப்பதாரிகள் இக் கற்கைநெறியினை இலவசமாகவே கற்றுக்கொள்ளமுடியும்

ஆர்வமுள்ள விண்ணப்பதாரிகள் மேலுள்ள இணைப்பினூடாக(Link) அல்லது விரைவுஎதிர்வினை குறி(QR Code) இனூடாக கூகுள்-படிவத்தை(Google Form) அணுகி அல்லது இரண்டு பக்கங்களுக்கு மேற்படாத சுயவிபரக்கோவையினை ஒரு குறுகிய முகப்புக் கடித்தத்துடன்(short cover letter) கீழே குறிப்பிட்டுள்ள மின்னஞ்சல் முகவரிக்கு புரட்டாதி மாதம் 30ஆந் திகதி, 2022 க்கு முன்னர் அனுப்பி வைக்கும்படி வேண்டப்படுகிறார்கள்.

கூகுள்-படிவத்தை அணுகுவதற்கு: https://forms.gle/br97hfKc2nAudbxw5

இரண்டு பக்கங்களுக்கு மேற்படாத சுயவிபரக்கோவையினை ஒரு குறுகிய முகப்புக் கடித்தத்துடன் cmev@cpalanka.org

Be a Volunteer to Promote Democracy and Earn a Course on Electoral Study

Posted on by in Archives, Awareness & Advocacy, Documents and tagged .

Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) calls for applications from Interested youth to participate in a certificate course on Electoral Studies and Democracy Empowerment.

Following a competitive selection process, the course will be offered free of charge for selected 240 participants.

Interested candidates are requested to scan below QR code or Click the link at the top to access the google form or send a CV not exceeding two pages and a short cover letter to the following email address before September 30, 2022.

Google Form Link: https://forms.gle/br97hfKc2nAudbxw5

Email : cmev@cpalanka.org

Way out from the Current Political, Economic and Social Crisis through the constitution and electoral Reforms  

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy and tagged .

CMEV Conducted a half-day program to discuss the Way out of the current political, economic and social crisis through the constitution and electoral reforms on 31st May 2020 at Hotel Janaki, Colombo. The program consisted of 3 Panel Discussions with distinguished experts in the field. 

The 1st-panel held on the topic of “Where does Sri Lanka lie at the present politically, socially and economically.” The panel consisted of Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director, CPA, Prof. Camena Gunaratna, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, OUSL and Dr Pradeep Peiris, Department of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Colombo. The discussion was moderated by Mr. D.M.Dissanayake AAL. 

The 2nd-panel discussion was about the 21st Amendment to the constitution as a solution for the present political crisis. The panel was chaired by Ms. Chathurika Akurugoda AAL, Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo and  Mr. Luwie Ganeshathasan AAL.

The 3rd-panel discussion was conducted on ” People’s mandate to recall their elected representatives – Constitution Vs. Public Demand”. Mr. H.R.P Peiris, Additional Commissioner (NEC), Mr. Jayantha Dehiattage AAL and Mr. Sudarashana Gunawardana were members of the expert panel and Mr. D.M. Dissanayake AAL moderated the discussion. 

More than 40 Civil society leaders, activists and youths participated in the program. 

Electoral Dispute Resolution (EDR) for the empowerment of women’s representation in Sri Lanka

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Situation Updates and tagged , , , .

In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 08, 2022, CMEV conducted a round table discussion on the impact of Electoral Dispute Resolution (EDR) for the empowerment of women’s representation in Sri Lanka. The program was held at CPA/CMEV Office with the participation of more than 20 representatives from political parties, media and Civil Society Organisations. The discussion was integrated with commemorating women leaders such as Agnes Merion De Silva, Adeline Molamure and Vivien Gunawardana who were champions in advocating for women’s universal franchise in Sri Lanka. D.M. Dissanayake, Head of Operation CMEV in his presentation on the effectiveness of women quota for ensuring women participation in politics highlighted that there are many issues in the electoral system which need to be addressed for ensuring effective women participation. Ms. Kumarini Prathapasinghe, Assistant Election Commissioner explained about current policies and practices followed by the Election Commission to strengthen women’s political participation. The requirements of a gender-sensitive EDR system was discussed by Ms. Udeni Thewarapperuma representing the Gender and Election Working Group. Dr.P. Saravanamuttu, Executive Director of CPA and a Co-convenor of CMEV highlighted the significance of women’s role in politics and common activism for ensuring the space for women in the legislature. 

The activity was co-sponsored by the International Foundation for the Electoral system. 

CMEV Collaborates with EC to enhance EDR Awareness

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

CMEV in collaboration with Election Commission of Sri Lanka launched a series of training workshops on Election Dispute Resolution for officials of District Election Offices and police offices since December 2021. The inaugural training program was conducted at the auditorium of the Jaffna District Secretariat on December 04, 2021. Mr. Nimal G. Punchihewa, Attorney-at-Law and the Chairman of the Election Commission, who led the training program stated that the clear understanding of election officers and other stakeholders about the EDR mechanism is the key for a successful election. The Chairman, in his presentation, provided a comprehensive enlightenment of the legal framework of the EDR system of Sri Lanka. He did not forget to appreciate the effective contribution of CMEV as an election observer organization to empower EDR process in various means including strategic litigation in the Supreme Court.  In addition to the legal framework and procedural practices of the EDR process, the role of the police officers in EDR process and challenges of implementing some of election laws were covered by the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (Service) Priyantha Weerasooriya. The panel discussion which was the last session of the program attended by members of the Election Commission, Election Commissioner General together with senior police officers were dedicated to answer practical issues raised by participants of the workshop. Various gaps in the present EDR system were raised for discussion in the panel discussion.

Following the Jaffna program, CMEV together with Election Commission organized another 9 programs for Election officials and other stakeholders in Hambantota, Matara, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Monaragala, Ampara, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Matale, Kandy, Rathnapura, Kegalle, Puttalam, Kurunegala and Galle Districts. All workshops followed the same module with resource persons. The program series is being conducted with funding support from the Norwegian Government under increased capacity and awareness on electoral and constitutional reform project. 

Four Million Voters who could not exercise their Sovereignty

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Online Discussion and tagged , , , .

In any election held in this country, the number of voters who do not come to the polling centers due to the absence of facilities to cast their vote for various reasons is very large. Nearly four million people (3,920,576) did not cast their votes in the last Parliamentary Election held in 2020. Accordingly, it is crystal clear that the introduction of alternative / advance voting methods for voting is one of the few immediate electoral reforms that should not be unaddressed.

මෙරටේ පැවැත්වෙන කවර මැතිවරණයකදී හෝ විවිධ හේතු මත තම ජන්දය භාවිත කිරීමට පහසුකම් නොලැබීම නිසා ජන්ද පොළට නොඑන  ජන්දදායකයන් ප්‍රමාණය ගණනින් ඉතා විශාලය. පසුගිය පාර්ලිමේන්තු මැතිවරණයේදී එලෙස තම ජන්දය භාවිත නොකරන ලද පිරිස මිලියන හතරකට ආසන්න විය (3,920,576). ඒ අනුව  ජන්ද භාවිතය උදෙසා විකල්ප/පූර්ව  ක්‍රමවේද හඳුන්වාදීම අත්නොහැරිය යුතු ආසන්නතම මැතිවරණ ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණ ස්වල්පයෙන් එකක් බව ඉතා පැහැදිළිය. 

Please watch full program via the following links:

https://fb.watch/3wyofIEISZ/

Women’s political activism is underestimated by insecure politicians

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Interviews, Videos and tagged , .

Women’s political activism became more active in the country around 1919 with the island-wide movement for women’s suffrage. Even though it has been more or less the opportunity to contest elections since then, getting nominations for women activists is still not an easy task. The forthcoming Provincial Council election will certainly be a challenging occasion. If given a chance, there are a large number of women political activists who aspire to contest elections.

This issue was also discussed extensively during a series of training programs for women political activists organized by the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) in collaboration with IRI and this short video contains the views expressed by R.Iresha Udeni Hettihewa of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) who participated in this Uva Provincial Workshop.

Identifying Women Political Activists

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Various activists and civil society organizations in the country have, for a long time, been calling for specific recognition for women’s political activism. The 25% quota for women, established for local government bodies, was a significant milestone. Although it confirmed only 23.5% female representation at the end of the election, it was a hallmark of Sri Lanka’s future women’s political representation. The most interesting trend in that process was the emergence of a strong women’s force of 1926 compared to only 88 female members in local government bodies before the quota system.

One way to further reinforce the future political activism of women is to give them an appropriate and sufficient understanding of the procedures of the institutional system and the laws on local governance. The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) will continue to support them in this regard. This short video has been prepared with the views of female local government representatives who participated in a series of programs conducted in collaboration with the International Republican Institute (IRI). 

Are Sri Lankans not eligible for an Advance Voting System – Potential Opportunities”

Posted on by in Awareness & Advocacy, Videos and tagged , , .

The number of people who lose the opportunity to cast their vote in every election held in this country is unlimited. That number was close to 3 million at the last election. Although there may be a certain percentage of people in the country who abstain from voting to protest without voting, most live in a background where the facilities to cast their votes are marginal.
To provide an Advance Voting facility to the voters of this country, there should be a continuous dialogue among the electoral stakeholders and there should be a special focus and interest on it among the newly elected members of Parliament as well.
The second Virtual Discussion organized by CMEV in association with DRI will be held from 6.00 PM to 7.30 PM on the 20th of December 2020.

Please watch full program via the following  link: https://fb.watch/2v5flPvMp2/