Japanese assistance to strengthen electoral process

by Ananda Agalakada

The Government of Japan on Friday granted US$ 88,667 (Rs. 11.4 million) to Sri Lanka to help implement the Project for Mobilization of the Citizenry to Participate in the Electoral Process to Strengthen Democracy.

This is being done to educate voters in the Northern Province and election monitoring in the three upcoming Provincial Council elections under the Grant Assistance for Grass roots Human Security Projects (GGP).

Supporting the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to strengthen democracy, this project is aimed at encouraging local people in the North to exercise their first-ever franchise at provincial level since 1988 and to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections for the Northern, North Western and Central Provincial Councils.

Under this project, the People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), an election monitoring organisation, will organise election-related activities in a neutral manner. Backed by its vast expertise since 1987, PAFFREL will conduct programs to educate voters in the Northern Province on voting and the system of provincial councils and deploy election observers in each polling station in the three provinces.

The program will also include the training of observers.