A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has unearthed concerning trends regarding democratic governance in Sri Lanka. The survey, titled ‘Survey on Democracy and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka,’ involved 1,350 participants across 25 districts in January, shedding light on shifting attitudes toward authoritarianism and declining trust in democratic institutions.
According to the findings, approximately 1 in 10 Sri Lankans expressed a preference for authoritarian rule, marking a significant increase since 2018. Despite the majority favoring democratic governance, the survey highlighted a worrying sentiment that "In certain situations, a dictatorial government can be preferable to a democratic one."
The CPA, a prominent policy think-tank based in Colombo, emphasized that the spike in support for authoritarianism coincided with the political upheaval during the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government in 2018. This trend suggests a susceptibility to embracing authoritarian rule amid dissatisfaction with democratic governance.
Furthermore, the survey exposed a sharp decline in public trust toward parliamentary institutions and political parties. Trust in parliament plummeted from 63 percent in 2011 to a mere 22 percent in 2024, while confidence in political parties nosedived from 56 percent to 19 percent during the same period. These findings underscore the erosion of public faith in democratic institutions over the past decade.
The report underscored the importance of public trust for the legitimacy of democratic processes, emphasizing that the dwindling confidence in legislative bodies and political parties poses unprecedented challenges to democracy in Sri Lanka. Despite the populace expressing a preference for representative Western democracy, the lack of trust in elected representatives reflects a growing disillusionment with the current state of governance.
