New online platform empowers voters with information on parliamentary candidates

• Platform outlines eight key criteria candidates must meet to be considered qualified public representatives

By Leenah Wahab 

A project aimed at informing the public about candidates  contesting for the upcoming elections was launched yesterday through a  coalition of NGO’s and election watchdog organisations.  

 The March 12 Movement, People’s Action for Free and Fair  Elections (PAFFREL) together with Helakuru institute signed a Memorandum  of Understanding for the inauguration of an online- based voter  education programme titled ‘Know Your Candidates,’ intended to provide  people with direct access to information on parliamentary nominees,  including their qualifications, solutions to current issues and  respective parties.   

 Chief Executive Officer of Helakuru Dhanika Perera stated  that the younger generation live in a digital age, which enables  political discourse through communication. Executive Director of  PAFFREL, Mr. Rohana Hettiarachchi further said that it is the country’s  responsibility to choose 225 of the 500 candidates. “For more than 70  years, the Parliament has failed. The people should have a good  understanding to access their suitability to pave the way for clean  politics,” he said.  

Head of Programmes at Hashtag Generation Saritha  Irugalbandara noted that since the Aragalaya protests in 2022, public  demand for accountability and transparency over the calibre of public  representatives and civic consciousness has increased. Irugalbandara  said that the collaboration with Helakuru is pivotal in connecting  information with voters, who are now more interested than ever in making  informed decisions. “We spoke a lot about why it’s important for  political parties to nominate candidates who fulfil the basic eight  criteria that make them qualified to actually be public representatives.  So this, this platform will actually elucidate those criteria and also  let voters actually make informed choices instead of guesswork when it  comes to electing public representatives,” she said.   

Mr. Hettiarachchi explained that the candidates would reach  out via email and that the members of the MoU will verify all relevant  information before publication. “In terms of digital solutions, I think  it’s very popular to suggest digitalisation as a solution to anything  and everything in Sri Lanka,” Irugalbandara said. “But this particularly  is also a fantastic example of how you actually utilise digital  solutions for purpose-driven advocacy, particularly when it comes to  enhancing transparency around political candidacy.”