Kopay Electoral District
Encyclopedia
Kopay Electoral District was an electoral district
of Sri Lanka
between August 1947 and February 1989
. The district was named after the town of Kopay
in Jaffna District
, Northern Province
. The 1978 Constitution
of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation
electoral system for electing
members
of Parliament
. The existing 160 mainly single-member
electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts
. Kopay electoral district was replaced by the Jaffna multi-member electoral district
at the 1989 general elections
, the first under the PR system, though Kopay continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
C. Vanniasingam died on 17 September 1959.
held on 21 July 1977:
S. Kathiravelupillai died on 31 March 1981. His replacement M. Alalasundaram was sworn in on 23 July 1981.
M. Alalasundaram and all other TULF MPs boycotted Parliament from the middle of 1983 for a number of reasons: they were under pressure from Sri Lankan Tamil militants
not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka
required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a separate state
; and the Black July
riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered by Sinhalese
mobs. After three months of absence, Alalasundaram forfeited his seat in Parliament on 5 January 1984.
M. Alalasundaram was murdered on 2 September 1985.
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
between August 1947 and February 1989
Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 1989
Sri Lanka had not had a parliamentary election since 1977. The elections that should normally have been held by 1983 had been cancelled by the 1982 referendum.President Ranasinghe Premadasa called the election for February 15.-Electoral District:...
. The district was named after the town of Kopay
Kopay
Kopay is a town located approximately 4 km from the city of Jaffna along Point Pedro road. It is an agricultural town consisting mainly of vegetable farms, paddy fields and coconut gardens....
in Jaffna District
Jaffna District
Jaffna district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Jaffna city. Parts of the district were transferred to...
, Northern Province
Northern Province, Sri Lanka
The Northern Province is one of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. Between 1988 and 2006 the province was...
. The 1978 Constitution
Constitution of Sri Lanka
The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been the constitution of the island nation of Sri Lanka since its original promulgation by the National State Assembly on 7 September 1978. It is Sri Lanka's second republican constitution, and its third constitution since the...
of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
electoral system for electing
Elections in Sri Lanka
Elections in Sri Lanka gives information on election and election results in Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a six year term by the people...
members
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of Parliament
Parliament of Sri Lanka
The Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...
. The existing 160 mainly single-member
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
. Kopay electoral district was replaced by the Jaffna multi-member electoral district
Jaffna Electoral District
Jaffna Electoral District is one of the 22 multi-member electoral districts of Sri Lanka created by the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. The district covers the administrative districts of Jaffna and Kilinochchi in the Northern province...
at the 1989 general elections
Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 1989
Sri Lanka had not had a parliamentary election since 1977. The elections that should normally have been held by 1983 had been cancelled by the 1982 referendum.President Ranasinghe Premadasa called the election for February 15.-Electoral District:...
, the first under the PR system, though Kopay continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
1947 Parliamentary General Election
Results of the 1st parliamentary election held between 23 August 1947 and 20 September 1947:| Candidate | |Symbol | |% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Vanniasingam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress , is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.-History:The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament... |
Elephant | 9,619 | 58.90% | |
| S. Rasaratnam | United National Party United National Party The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe... |
Hand | 5,266 | 32.24% | |
| C. Ragunathan | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
Cart Wheel | 1,447 | 8.86% | |
| Valid Votes | 16,332 | 100.00% | |||
| Rejected Votes | |276 | ||||
| Total Polled | 16,608 | ||||
| Registered Electors | 32,999 | ||||
| Turnout | 50.33% | ||||
1952 Parliamentary General Election
Results of the 2nd parliamentary election held between 24 May 1952 and 30 May 1952:| Candidate | |Symbol | |% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Vanniasingam | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress... |
Key | 9,410 | 44.89% | |
| C. Arulampalam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress , is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.-History:The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament... |
Elephant | 9,200 | 43.88% | |
| R. R. Dharmaratnam | Star | 2,354 | 11.23% | ||
| Valid Votes | 20,964 | 100.00% | |||
| Rejected Votes | 283 | ||||
| Total Polled | 21,247 | ||||
| Registered Electors | 32,903 | ||||
| Turnout | 64.57% | ||||
1956 Parliamentary General Election
Results of the 3rd parliamentary election held between 5 April 1956 and 10 April 1956:| Candidate | |Symbol | |% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Vanniasingam | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress... |
House | 12,804 | 53.83% | |
| C. Arulampalam | Umbrella | 10,983 | 46.17% | ||
| Valid Votes | 23,787 | 100.00% | |||
| Rejected Votes | 304 | ||||
| Total Polled | 24,091 | ||||
| Registered Electors | 34,465 | ||||
| Turnout | 69.90% | ||||
C. Vanniasingam died on 17 September 1959.
1960 (March) Parliamentary General Election
Results of the 4th parliamentary election held on 19 March 1960:| Candidate | |Symbol | |% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Balasundaram | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress... |
House | 10,279 | 48.63% | |
| T. Gunaratnam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress , is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.-History:The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament... |
Bicycle | 4,936 | 23.35% | |
| S. K. Nallathamby | Sun | 3,494 | 16.53% | ||
| K. V. S. Shanmuganathan | Lanka Sama Samaja Party Lanka Sama Samaja Party The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka.... |
Key | 1,777 | 8.41% | |
| S. P. Nadarajah | Communist Party | Star | 458 | 2.17% | |
| S. Sivasubramaniam | Cockerel | 192 | 0.91% | ||
| Valid Votes | 21,136 | 100.00% | |||
| Rejected Votes | 351 | ||||
| Total Polled | 21,487 | ||||
| Registered Electors | 27,858 | ||||
| Turnout | 77.13% | ||||
1960 (July) Parliamentary General Election
Results of the 5th parliamentary election held on 20 July 1960:| Candidate | |Symbol | |% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Balasundaram | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress... |
House | 12,088 | 67.64% | |
| T. Gunaratnam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress , is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.-History:The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament... |
Bicycle | 5,782 | 32.36% | |
| Valid Votes | 17,870 | 100.00% | |||
| Rejected Votes | 188 | ||||
| Total Polled | 18,058 | ||||
| Registered Electors | 27,858 | ||||
| Turnout | 64.82% | ||||
1965 Parliamentary General Election
Results of the 6th parliamentary election held on 22 March 1965:| Candidate | |Symbol | |% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Kathiravelupillai | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress... |
House | 12,339 | 51.93% | |
| T. Gunaratnam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress , is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.-History:The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament... |
Bicycle | 8,230 | 34.64% | |
| M. Thurairajah | Lanka Sama Samaja Party Lanka Sama Samaja Party The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka.... |
Key | 2,625 | 11.05% | |
| M. Balasundaram | Umbrella | 568 | 2.39% | ||
| Valid Votes | 23,762 | 100.00% | |||
| Rejected Votes | 361 | ||||
| Total Polled | 24,123 | ||||
| Registered Electors | 33,091 | ||||
| Turnout | 72.90% | ||||
1970 Parliamentary General Election
Results of the 7th parliamentary election held on 27 May 1970:| Candidate | |Symbol | |% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Kathiravelupillai | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress... |
House | 16,428 | 55.85% | |
| T. Gunaratnam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress , is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.-History:The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament... |
Bicycle | 11,288 | 38.38% | |
| M. S. Kanagasundaram | Pair of Scales | 983 | 3.34% | ||
| M. Thurairajah | Sri Lanka Freedom Party Sri Lanka Freedom Party The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major political parties in Sri Lanka. It was founded by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in... |
Hand | 713 | 2.42% | |
| Valid Votes | 29,412 | 100.00% | |||
| Rejected Votes | 189 | ||||
| Total Polled | 29,601 | ||||
| Registered Electors | 37,464 | ||||
| Turnout | 79.01% | ||||
1977 Parliamentary General Election
Results of the 8th parliamentary electionSri Lankan parliamentary election, 1977
The 1977 Sri Lankan election heralded the beginning of a new period of Sri Lanka's history - a period of unprecedented violence.-Background:Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike had become extraordinarily unpopular. Her economic policies had led to industrial growth and self-reliance, but was...
held on 21 July 1977:
| Candidate | |Symbol | |% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Kathiravelupillai | Tamil United Liberation Front Tamil United Liberation Front The Tamil United Liberation Front is a political party in Sri Lanka which seeks independence for the Tamil-populated areas of Sri Lanka.-Formation:... |
Sun | 25,840 | 77.20% | |
| V. Nadarajah | Lanka Sama Samaja Party Lanka Sama Samaja Party The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka.... |
Key | 3,487 | 10.42% | |
| S. Jeganathan | United National Party United National Party The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe... |
Elephant | 2,699 | 8.06% | |
| V. T. Jeyadevan | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
Ship | 1,444 | 4.31% | |
| Valid Votes | 33,470 | 100.00% | |||
| Rejected Votes | 149 | ||||
| Total Polled | 33,619 | ||||
| Registered Electors | 41,824 | ||||
| Turnout | 80.38% | ||||
S. Kathiravelupillai died on 31 March 1981. His replacement M. Alalasundaram was sworn in on 23 July 1981.
M. Alalasundaram and all other TULF MPs boycotted Parliament from the middle of 1983 for a number of reasons: they were under pressure from Sri Lankan Tamil militants
Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups
Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups rose to prominence in the 1970s to fight the state of Sri Lanka in order to create an independent Tamil Eelam in the north of Sri Lanka. They rose in response to the perception amongst minority Sri Lankan Tamils that the state was preferring the majority Sinhalese...
not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka
Constitution of Sri Lanka
The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been the constitution of the island nation of Sri Lanka since its original promulgation by the National State Assembly on 7 September 1978. It is Sri Lanka's second republican constitution, and its third constitution since the...
required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a separate state
Tamil Eelam
Tamil Eelam , is the name given by certain Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora to the independent state which they aspire to create in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Tamil Eelam has no official status or recognition by any other state or authority...
; and the Black July
Black July
Black July is the commonly used name for the anti-Tamil pogrom and attacks carried out by mobs in Sri Lanka which began on July 23, 1983. The riots occurred following a deadly ambush by a Tamil militant organization known as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam which killed 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers...
riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered by Sinhalese
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
mobs. After three months of absence, Alalasundaram forfeited his seat in Parliament on 5 January 1984.
M. Alalasundaram was murdered on 2 September 1985.