PROBLEMS AND TRENDS FACED BY THE YOUTH COMMUNITY WHEN RUNNING AS REPRESENTATIVES IN THE SRI LANKAN ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Abstract

Youth in various societies around the world have become active members of the political sphere. They have become a dominant force in the political process of almost all countries. Political participation can be defined as a direct or indirect voluntary activity that is undertaken by citizens to influence either public policy or the selection of public representatives. Political participation covers a wide range, but among political participation, this research focuses on electoral participation. The problem of this study is to investigate the problems and challenges that hinder the development of youth political participation in the electoral process in Sri Lanka. The main objective is to identify the problems and challenges of youth political participation. This study uses secondary data sources, including the Election Commission reports, youth policy in Sri Lanka, research reports, articles, and reports of non-governmental organizations, to gather information. It can be concluded that electoral participation among youth is low due to the low level of trust in the political system among the youth, the lack of access to information on political education, and the socio-economic challenges and political confusion among the youth. It can be emphasized here that in order to promote political participation, it is essential to provide political education and knowledge to the youth, and through that, to create new opportunities.