ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power party of President Anura Disanayake has won most seats in over 260 of 339 local authorities though it has not got an outright majority in all, in an election with a low turnout of around 60 percent.
While the NPP can easily appoint a mayor in local councils where they have an absolute majority, they may have trouble in taking control of other councils where they are the largest minority.
Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the largest constituent party of the NPP said, they planned to run all the councils where they are the largest party which was over 250.
“The Malima as a single party has the biggest victory,” Silva said. “Because the people have placed their trust in us, we will accept it and run these councils. Our plan to end corruption and have a clean administration within the local elections also.
“The plan we started at the national level, we will also do at the village level as well.”
NPP General Secretary Nihal Abeysinghe said there will have to be some ‘balance of power’ for the NPP to run the councils.
“We will establish these councils very soon. In areas where we have categorically won it will be easy for us to establish the councils. Where we do not have the majority but other small parties and independent groups have the majority we will consider how to establish the councils.”
Silva said independent candidates can support the NPP if they wanted. The NPP had no plans to work with either the Samagi Jana Balawegaya and United National Party or the Sri Lanka Podujana Party which was ‘rejected by the public’.
The NPP won around 43 percent of the total votes, down from 61 percent in the last parliamentary elections. Its share is close the number won in the Presidential poll.
“The dynamics of the Presidential and general elections are different,” a senior political analyst said.
“In a local council election, a lot of regional factors are at play. People may vote for friends and neighbors and may vote across party lines. The Haputale Pradeshiya Sabha result is an example.
“But the NPP itself elevated this to a national level election in the pre-election period. So, its popularity is down compared to the general election, though we cannot say it is a protest vote against the government since turnout is low.”
The SLPP won 9.2 percent, recovering from its drubbing in the earlier two polls. The newly set up Sarvajana Balaya of Dilith Jayaweera also won 2.84 percent of the vote.
The SJB won 21 percent from 17.6 percent in the last eletion, though the total number was down amid low turnouts. The SJB also lost its stronghold in Colombo.
Before the polls, party activists had suggested fielding a strong candidate after forming a partnership with the United National Party, which insiders was rejected.
“As much as it is an indictment on the NPP, it is also an indictment on the main opposition,” another analyst said.
Some may argue now that the 60 percent votes the NPP took in the general election was a fluke and its mandate no longer exists, in the same way as the 2018 election led to charges that the 2015 mandate no longer existed, he said.
The 2018 election had high turnout with SLPP making headway, but this time large numbers stayed at home, which may indicate that voters were neutral and not anti-government per se and wanted to ‘give more time’ for the government to carry out its promises, he said.
The 2018 defeat of the Yahapalana regime came in the wake of the 2017 stabiliation crisis after rate cuts in 2015/2016 triggered a collapse in the currency from 131 to 152 to the US dollar.
Excessive over-promising may have also hurt the NPP with charges from multiple quarters that false claims (pacha) were made before the elections, another analyst said.
The opposition is divided with deep personality clashes between the leaders of the SJB and UNP and an ideological divide with the SLPP, making it difficult for them to work together. (Colombo/May7/2025)
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