Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted in violence in the 1980 s. Since 1983 there has been a violent conflict between successive governments and the Tamil Tigers who have been seeking independence for the North and Eastern parts of the Island resulting in over 60,000 deaths. October 15, 2000. In response to an invitation from the Commissioner of Elections, I sent a Commonwealth Secretariat team to report to me on the conduct of the Parliamentary elections held in Lanka on 10 October, 2000. This statement is based on its preliminary report to me and therefore does not constitute a full and final assessment of the elections.
Further reports are still to come.
In an assesment of the election process in Sri Lanka, The Asia Foundation's Election Advisor, Tim Meisburger, found that one of the most serious structural deficiencies is the failure to respect the secrecy of the ballot. When a voter receives a ballot, their registration number is recorded on the counterfoil, making it possible to later identify how they voted, and thus violating a fundamental principle of free elections. After elections, counterfoils are bundled and stored by the Election Commissioner to be used later if someone wishes to contest the authenticity of a particular ballot. Since it is common practice to threaten that people who vote for the wrong party will be punished, the uncertainty surrounding the actual secrecy of an individual's vote taints the entire process. For Mr. Meisburger's complete report about Sri Lanka's election process, Click Here.