- 20 percent reduction in number of observers anticipated
- Volunteers step up to fill breach
- Polls complaints show downward trend
Election monitoring groups expressed grave concern yesterday that a lack of funds resulting from the dismantling of the USAID by the current US administration could have a severe impact on monitoring the May 6 Local Government (LG) Election.
The USAID, which came under funding and staff cuts proposed by billionaire Elon Musk as the head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), provided funds for improving democratic processes, including the monitoring of elections, in many Global South countries. Musk said on his social media platform X that he “fed the USAID to the wood chipper”.
Several other entities which earlier supported election monitoring groups have also withdrawn funding.
Executive Director of People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), Rohana Hettiarachchi told the Sunday Observer that he was anticipating a 20 percent reduction in the number of election monitoring field agents.
“PAFFREL usually deploys around 5,000 monitors at every election, but this time we expect to field around 3,500 to 4,000. We knew that a funding crisis was imminent and are taking steps to mitigate it,” he said.
PAFFREL and other monitoring groups have been encouraged by youth who are coming forward to volunteer as polls monitors. Many others have also provided vehicles free to ease the financial burden on monitoring groups, Hettiarachchi said.
Executive Director of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE), Ahmed Manas Makeen also voiced concern over the funding issue. He said they were unable to do in-person voter education programs for the LG polls and were instead using social media to reach voters across the island.
“We do not have any funding for monitoring per se. But we have got many requests from the youth, especially University students, to join our monitoring mission on a volunteer basis,” Makeen said.
However, he said they would not be able to deploy the same number of monitors used in the Presidential and Parliamentary polls of 2024.
Elections Commission (EC) Director General Saman Sri Ratnayake said the role played by local monitors will be even more crucial at the LG polls as it will not have any foreign monitors, who usually observe only national-level elections.
“We have discussed with the election monitoring organisations and reviewed the number of observers they can deploy. Some organisations told us that they cannot field the same number as in previous elections due to funding and other issues,” he said. “We advised them that their observers should be strategically dispersed across locations. We have also scheduled another discussion with them tomorrow (21).”
He said that local election monitoring organisations must be structured with practical and efficient policies so that they can operate effectively, even without foreign aid.
All election monitoring groups have reported a downward trend in polls-related complaints. The EC has received around 1,600 complaints, some of which have been forwarded through its EDR app. Around 1,400 complaints have already been resolved by the EC and Returning Officers.The Police have received 176 complaints and arrested 80 persons in connection with polls related incidents.
