Sri Lankan Provincial Council elections, November 1988
Encyclopedia
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...
’s North Eastern Provincial Council
North Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
The North Eastern Province was one of the provinces of Sri Lanka. The province was created in September 1988 by merging the Northern and Eastern provinces. This merger was declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2006. The province was formally demerged into the Northern and Eastern...
.
Background
The Indo-Lanka AccordIndo-Sri Lanka Accord
The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was an accord signed in Colombo on July 29, 1987, between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene. The accord was expected to resolve the ongoing Sri Lankan civil war...
signed on 29 July 1987 required the Sri Lankan government
Politics of Sri Lanka
Politics of Sri Lanka takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Sri Lanka is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both...
to devolve powers to the provinces
Provinces of Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, provinces are the first level administrative division. They were first established by the British rulers of Ceylon in 1833. Over the next century most of the administrative functions were transferred to the districts, the second level administrative division. By the middle of the...
and, in the interim
Interim
Interim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...
, to merge the Northern
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...
and Eastern
Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
The Eastern Province is one of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but they didn't 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...
provinces into one administrative unit
Administrative division
An administrative division, subnational entity, or country subdivision is a portion of a country or other political division, established for the purpose of government. Administrative divisions are each granted a certain degree of autonomy, and are required to manage themselves through their own...
..
On 14 November 1987 the Sri Lankan Parliament passed the 13th Amendment
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
to the 1978 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...
and the Provincial Councils Act No 42 of 1987, establishing provincial councils. On September 2 and 8 1988 President Jayewardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene , famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the first executive President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 till 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence...
issued proclamations enabling the Northern and Eastern provinces to be one administrative unit administered by one elected Council.
The first elections for provincial councils took place on 28 April 1988 in North Central
North Central Province, Sri Lanka
North Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka. Its capital is Anuradhapura. The province is not densely populated with a weak economy, as the land tends to be dry tropical woodlands.-History:...
, North Western
North Western Province, Sri Lanka
North Western Province is a province of Sri Lanka. The districts of Kurunegala and Puttalam formulate Wayamba. Its capital is Kurunegala, which has a population of 28,571. The province is known mainly for its numerous coconut plantations. Other main towns in this province are Chilaw and Puttalam...
, Sabaragamuwa
Sabaragamuwa Province
Sabaragamuwa, is a province of Sri Lanka, and contains two main cities: Ratnapura and Kegalle. Sabaragamuwa University is in Belihuloya. It is named after its former indigenous inhabitants, namely the Sabara, an indic term for hunter gatherer tribes, a term seldom used in ancient Sri...
, and Uva
Uva Province
Uva is Sri Lanka's second least populated province, with 1,187,335 people, created in 1896. It consists of two districts: Badulla බදුල්ල பதுளை and Moneragala මොනරාගල மொனராகல. The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by Eastern, Southern and Central provinces...
provinces. Elections in the newly merged North Eastern Province were held on 19 November 1988.
Overall
| Party | |Eastern | |Northern | |Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | |Seats | |% | |Votes | |Seats | |||||
| Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front is a Sri Lankan political party and a former militant separatist group.-Militant separatists:The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K... |
215,230 | 55.00% | 17 | 24 | 215,230 | 55.00% | 41 | ||
| Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Sri Lanka Muslim Congress The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is a political party in Sri Lanka. The party was formed at a meeting held at Kattankudy in 1981 by a small study group of local Eastern Province political leaders.... |
168,038 | 42.94% | 17 | 168,038 | 42.94% | 17 | |||
| 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... |
8,056 | 2.06% | 1 | 8,056 | 2.06% | 1 | |||
| Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front The Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front is a former Indian backed Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. It was formed in 1987 as an amalgamation of splinter groups from other militant groups... |
12 | 12 | |||||||
| Total | 391,324 | 100.00% | 35 | 36 | 391,324 | 100.00% | 71 | ||
| Source: | |||||||||
Ampara District
| Party | |Votes per Polling Division | |% | Ampara | |Pottuvil | Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Sri Lanka Muslim Congress The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is a political party in Sri Lanka. The party was formed at a meeting held at Kattankudy in 1981 by a small study group of local Eastern Province political leaders.... | 40 | 26,441 | 34,972 | 28,983 | 90,436 | 63.03% | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front is a Sri Lankan political party and a former militant separatist group.-Militant separatists:The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K... |
20 | 12,626 | 25,140 | 7,968 | 45,754 | 31.89% | 4 | |||||
| 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... |
5,338 | 111 | 1,704 | 147 | 7,300 | 5.09% | 1 | |||||
| Valid Votes | 5,398 | 39,178 | 61,816 | 37,098 | 143,490 | 100.00% | 14 | |||||
| Rejected Votes | 219 | 460 | 932 | 1,020 | 2,631 | |||||||
| Total Polled | 5,617 | 39,638 | 62,748 | 38,118 | 146,121 | |||||||
| Registered Electors | 94,068 | 44,075 | 82,833 | 44,975 | 265,951 | |||||||
| Turnout (%) | 5.97% | 89.93% | 75.75% | 84.75% | 54.94% | |||||||
| Source: | ||||||||||||
Batticaloa District
| Party | |Votes per Polling Division | |% | Batticaloa | |Paddiruppu | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front is a Sri Lankan political party and a former militant separatist group.-Militant separatists:The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K... |
46,006 | 32,546 | 48,394 | 126,946 | 74.76% | 8 |
| Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Sri Lanka Muslim Congress The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is a political party in Sri Lanka. The party was formed at a meeting held at Kattankudy in 1981 by a small study group of local Eastern Province political leaders.... |
29,594 | 12,331 | 175 | 42,100 | 24.79% | 3 |
| 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... |
476 | 194 | 86 | 756 | 0.45% | 0 |
| Valid Votes | 76,076 | 45,071 | 48,655 | 169,802 | 100.00% | 11 |
| Rejected Votes | 1,495 | 629 | 610 | 2,734 | ||
| Total Polled | 77,571 | 45,700 | 49,265 | 172,536 | ||
| Registered Electors | 100,536 | 60,288 | 56,452 | 217,276 | ||
| Turnout (%) | 77.16% | 75.80% | 87.27% | 79.41% | ||
| Source: | ||||||
Jaffna District
The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation FrontEelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front is a Sri Lankan political party and a former militant separatist group.-Militant separatists:The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K...
won all 19 seats uncontested.
Kilinochchi District
The Eelam National Democratic Liberation FrontEelam National Democratic Liberation Front
The Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front is a former Indian backed Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. It was formed in 1987 as an amalgamation of splinter groups from other militant groups...
won all 3 seats uncontested.
Mannar District
The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation FrontEelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front is a Sri Lankan political party and a former militant separatist group.-Militant separatists:The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K...
won all 5 seats uncontested.
Mullaitivu District
The Eelam National Democratic Liberation FrontEelam National Democratic Liberation Front
The Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front is a former Indian backed Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. It was formed in 1987 as an amalgamation of splinter groups from other militant groups...
won all 5 seats uncontested.
Trincomalee District
| Party | |Votes per Polling Division | |% | Mutur | |Trincomalee | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front is a Sri Lankan political party and a former militant separatist group.-Militant separatists:The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K... |
12,311 | 4,840 | 25,379 | 42,530 | 54.50% | 5 |
| Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Sri Lanka Muslim Congress The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is a political party in Sri Lanka. The party was formed at a meeting held at Kattankudy in 1981 by a small study group of local Eastern Province political leaders.... |
24,006 | 3,764 | 7,732 | 35,502 | 45.50% | 5 |
| Valid Votes | 36,317 | 8,604 | 33,111 | 78,032 | 100.00% | 10 |
| Rejected Votes | |810 | 295 | 1,272 | 2,377 | ||
| Total Polled | 37,127 | 8,899 | 34,383 | 80,409 | ||
| Registered Electors | 48,570 | 47,693 | 56,026 | 152,289 | ||
| Turnout (%) | 76.44% | 18.66% | 61.37% | 52.80% | ||
| Source: | ||||||
Vavuniya District
The Eelam National Democratic Liberation FrontEelam National Democratic Liberation Front
The Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front is a former Indian backed Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. It was formed in 1987 as an amalgamation of splinter groups from other militant groups...
won all 4 seats uncontested.
Aftermath
On 10 December 1988 Annamalai Varatharajah Perumal of the EPRLFEelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front is a Sri Lankan political party and a former militant separatist group.-Militant separatists:The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K...
became the first Chief Minister of the North Eastern Provincial Council.
On 1 March 1990, just as the Indian Peace Keeping Force
Indian Peace Keeping Force
Indian Peace Keeping Force was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990...
were preparing to withdraw from Sri Lanka, Permual moved a motion in the North Eastern Provincial Council declaraing
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
an independent
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
Eelam
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...
. President Premadasa
Ranasinghe Premadasa
Ranasinghe Premadasa was the 3rd President of Sri Lanka from January 2, 1989 to May 1, 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from February 6, 1978 to January 1, 1989...
reacted to Permual's UDI by dissolving the provincial council and imposing direct rule on the province.
On 14 July 2006, after a long campaign against the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
The Janathā Vimukthi Peramuṇa is a Marxist-Leninist, Communist political party in Sri Lanka. The party was involved in two armed uprisings against the ruling governments in 1971 and 1987-89...
, a Sinhalese nationalist
Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism
Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism is a political ideology which combines a focus upon Sinhalese culture and ethnicity with an emphasis upon Theravada Buddhism, which is the majority belief system of most Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, filed three separate petitions with the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka is the highest court of the nation of Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court is the highest and final judicial instance of record and is empowered to exercise its powers, subject to the provisions of the Constitution. The Court has ultimate appellate jurisdiction in...
requesting a separate Provincial Council for the East. On 16 October 2006 the Supreme Court ruled that the proclamations issued by President Jayewardene in September 1988 were null and void and had no legal effect. The North Eastern Province was formally demerged into the Northern and Eastern provinces on 1 January 2007.
The north-east of Sri Lanka was ruled directly from Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
until May 2008 when elections
Sri Lanka Eastern Provincial Council elections, 2008
The Sri Lanka Eastern Provincial Council elections, 2008 was held on May 10, 2008 to elect members to Sri Lanka’s Eastern Provincial Council. Following the successful completion of local government elections in the Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka’s Elections Department announced on March 14 that the...
were held in the demerged Eastern Province. However, the Northern Province continues to be ruled from Colombo. More than 20 years after the introduction of provincial councils the people of the Northern Province remain the only ones in Sri Lanka who have never a cast a vote to elect their provincial council. This is despite the fact that the provincial councils were only established to satisfy the demands for autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
by the Tamils, the majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
of whom live in the Northern Province.