International Foundation for Electoral Systems (Sri Lanka)

With rising economic instability, political infighting, and questionable recent reforms to the constitution and electoral laws leading to increased uncertainty in the political environment, Sri Lanka’s upcoming elections, including the Provincial Council elections, provide a critical opportunity to safeguard transparent and inclusive electoral processes in a fragile political context. IFES works to increase the role of civil society, particularly women, youth, and other underrepresented groups and supports the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) to strengthen its organizational capacity to expand its voter outreach and inclusivity of Sri Lanka’s electoral process. Building on more than two decades of experience working in Sri Lanka, IFES’ strong partnerships with local civil society organizations and government institutions advance gender and inclusion; accessible voter and civic education; credible elections; and democracy.
IFES’ current USAID-funded Inclusive Participatory Processes program supports the ECSL in responding to emerging electoral threats and safeguarding democratic principles, as well as building the leadership capacity of women, youth, and people with disabilities. Additionally, IFES’ DFAT-funded Strengthening Subnational Governance (SSG) program promotes civic and democratic participation at the subnational level by enhancing local government responsiveness to citizens’ needs. Together, these programs contribute to the following results:

• Election management capacity is further strengthened to ensure credible, safe, and inclusive electoral processes.
• Electoral integrity is improved through updated legal frameworks and regulations.
• Citizens – including those from historically marginalized groups – participate actively in Sri Lanka’s democratic process.
• Government, especially at the subnational level, responds to citizen needs.