Sri Lankans voted yesterday (14) to elect the 10th Parliament which is expected to govern over the Indian Ocean island nation. While the election was carried out smoothly and peacefully, the low voter turnout is a concerning factor for the island’s long-standing democracy.

According to the Election Commission, the Parliamentary General Election, which was held yesterday and comes barely six weeks after the historic Presidential Election, held on 21 September, has seen an approximate voter turnout of 65%. The Election Commission was of the view that the actual figure may indicate that the voter turnout is lower than the previous Presidential and Parliamentary elections in the island’s history. “This is the lowest we have seen in an election, both Parliamentary and Presidential,” EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake told The Daily Morning. “A significant number of people have not cast their vote.” However, Rathnayake said h     e is unaware of the reasons as to why the voter turnout was low. A total of 17,140,354 Sri Lankans were eligible to vote in this year’s Parliamentary Election; however, during the Presidential Election this year, over 3.5 million citizens who were eligible to vote refrained from voting. Out of 17,140,354 registered voters, a total of 13,619,916 cast their vote in the Presidential Election, making the voter turnout 79.46%. Approximately 3,250,438 people or 21.54% did not vote in the Presidential Election.

The low voter turnout may help the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) to secure adequate number of seats to form a government, as NPP voters have been seen to be more mobilised and keen on voting, compared to their opposition counterparts, who have not over the campaign period showed much enthusiasm. With the main components of the Parliamentary Opposition in disarray, and observed to be ‘too stubborn to set aside differences and unite to form a common front’, the NPP may have a red carpet rolled out to form a ‘113 seat-plus’ government. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaking to the media after casting his vote, claimed that this was the ‘most peaceful’ election in Sri Lanka’s history. Dissanayake, who predicted a victory for his National People’s Power (NPP) Party, stressed that his supporters should act responsibly not to cause harm to any other party supporters or members following their victory. “The NPP seeks a strong mandate from the people in this Election, confident that such support will lead to a robust Parliament. After our anticipated victory, we encourage all supporters to celebrate democratically and peacefully, ensuring that no harm or disturbance comes to other parties. This election campaign has been the most peaceful, most democratic in Sri Lanka’s history, which is a political triumph for the people of our country,” he added.

Despite law enforcement authorities and observers, both local and foreign, stating that the Elections were one of the most peaceful ones in the island’s history, the low voter turnout is concerning. Historically, Sri Lankans have voter in numbers at the Presidential Elections and with less enthusiasm at Parliamentary General Elections. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka is in a difficult transitional period, where public scrutiny of State activities and involvement in governance, which has been found lacking in the past, is a necessary part of steering the crisis-hit nation to a better course. The level of engagement and participation of its citizens in the electoral process shows how healthy democracy is. And one of the most significant indicators of this is voter turnout or the percentage of eligible voters who cast their ballot in a given election. Usually, a high voter turnout usually shows an inclusive democracy, and a low voter turnout can indicate public and people’s distrust, or apathy. The low voter turnout could also be an indication of lack of interest and or loss of hope in the democratic process.

With Sri Lanka still in a recovery phase, and with much work to be done on State sector and governance reforms, having a well-balanced Legislature with a robust Opposition is vital to ensure the necessary checks and balances to ensure the new Government acts within the constitutional framework and in the national interest. Sri Lanka has in the past, experienced negative effects of tilting the balance of power within the legislature towards the party in power. Let us hope that such will not repeat this time. Irrespective of how the new Government will use their mandate, or abuse it, the low voter turnout is a matter which needs to be addressed. Sri Lankans have too many bitter lessons from what happens when citizens move away from being part of governance, to allow such a trend to grow.