International Day of Democracy 2023

Abstract

The International Day of Democracy is celebrated, on September 15, providing an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world. One way this is checked is through elections, as public participation in such processes is essential to bolstering democracy. Considering this, VR's Manthri Team analysed the history of voting in Sri Lankan national elections held from 1978 up until the 2020 presidential election. Findings showed that since 1982, 3 out of 10 voters were absent or had cast invalid votes. This implies that the outcome of all elections would have been different if all registered voters cast their vote effectively.