Long-delayed Local Government elections, crucial test at grassrootsToday is a significant moment—the long-postponed local government elections are finally being held. While these polls traditionally receive minimal public attention, their importanc

Today is a significant moment—the long-postponed local government elections are finally being held. While these polls traditionally receive minimal public attention, their importance in shaping the political and administrative culture of the country cannot be overstated. More than just a logistical exercise in decentralisation, these elections are the first electoral test of President Anura Disanayake’s administration and a litmus test for the political mood of the country.

Local government bodies, in theory, serve as the foundation of participatory democracy. They are meant to be the entry point into public service for individuals without the wealth, connections, or visibility to contest at provincial or parliamentary levels. Ideally, they offer a platform for community-driven leadership and responsive governance. However, the grim reality in Sri Lanka has been quite the opposite.

Over the years, local government institutions have decayed into havens of corruption, nepotism, and petty influence-peddling. Instead of serving the people, many of these councils have become fiefdoms for the worst elements in politics—those who exploit their positions for personal gain rather than public service. This degeneration has severely undermined public trust and discouraged genuine community leaders from participating in the political process.

Moreover, the much-vaunted electoral reforms aimed at increasing female representation, which were introduced at the last local government elections, have largely failed to achieve their intended outcomes. Though quotas were introduced, tokenism has prevailed over meaningful inclusion. Structural and cultural barriers continue to prevent women from playing a substantive role in local governance. Even in instances when women were elected into high posts in local authorities, as seen at the Colombo Municipal Council, these opportunities were swindled through corruption and nepotism rather than setting an example of change for the better.

Despite this troubling backdrop, today’s election is an opportunity—an opportunity to begin rebuilding the foundation of Sri Lankan democracy from the grassroots. While many political observers will be focused on interpreting these results as a referendum on the President and his administration’s popularity, the real emphasis must be on local issues: infrastructure, sanitation, education, and basic public services. These are the everyday concerns of citizens, and addressing them effectively begins with electing capable, ethical, and community-minded individuals.

If the electorate brings to this vote the same passion and civic commitment witnessed in the last two national ballots, there is hope for a shift in political culture. By demanding accountability and integrity at the local level, voters can exert pressure upwards, changing politics from the bottom up.

Not just nationally but in every village, town, and municipality casting ballots today, the choices made here will ripple outward, shaping the country’s governance and public trust in democracy for years to come. The delaying of these elections due to political machinations by respective administrations have deteriorated the trust and credibility in the Sri Lankan democracy. They were not held despite the Supreme Court ordering the previous Government to do so. It set a precedence that a government in office could at its own volition decide on postponing elections, a fundamental right of the people and a pillar of the fragile democracy. Now that these elections are finally being held it is the duty of the electorate to seize the moment and ensure that a key tenet of democracy is upheld.