Sri Lanka Grants Voting Rights to Citizens Overseas After Years of Campaigning

The Sri Lankan Government has made a significant decision to grant voting rights to its citizens living abroad. After years of campaigning, the Cabinet of Ministers has agreed to appoint a committee to study and propose amendments to the election laws to enable overseas citizens to cast their votes. This move follows the examples set by several Asian countries, including India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines, which have already formulated laws to secure the right to vote for their citizens living overseas.

Key Takeaways:

• The Cabinet of Ministers has granted their concurrence to appoint a committee to study and propose amendments to the election laws to enable overseas citizens to cast their votes.
• The current election laws in Sri Lanka reserve the right to vote for citizens living within the country and registered in the electoral register.
• Many Asian countries, including India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines, have formulated laws to enable their citizens living overseas to cast votes.
• The Sri Lankan Government has recognized the need to amend its laws to safeguard the voting rights of citizens living abroad.
• The committee will comprise officials from the Elections Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employments and Tourism, the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Governments, and other Ministries and institutions.

Statistics:

• The Cabinet decision was taken after years of campaigning by various groups.
• There are no statistics on the number of Sri Lankan citizens living abroad, but it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans live and work in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East.
• The Philippines has a law that allows its citizens living overseas to cast their votes through absentee voting.
• India has a law that allows its citizens living abroad to cast their votes through postal voting.

Sources:

• [Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa]

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