Sri Lankan local government elections, 2011
Encyclopedia
Local government
elections
were held in Sri Lanka
on 17 March 2011, 23 July 2011 and 8 October 2011 to elect 4,327 members for 322 of the 335 local authorities in the country. 13.7 million Sri Lankans were eligible to vote in the election. Elections to two other local authorities in Mullaitivu District
are due but have been repeatedly postponed due to alleged delays in resettling internally displaced persons. Elections to the remaining 11 local authorities are not due as they had their last election in 2008 or 2009.
The United People's Freedom Alliance
's domination of Sri Lankan elections continued as expected. It won control of 270 local authorities (including two contesting as the National Congress), the Tamil National Alliance
won 32 local authorities (including two contesting as the Tamil United Liberation Front), the United National Party
won 9 local authorities, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
won 5 local authorities and a UPFA backed independent group
won one local authority. There was no overall control
in the five remaining local authorities but the UPFA was the largest group in three, the UNP in one and the Up-Country People's Front
in one.
These elections, like previous elections in Sri Lanka, had been marred by violence and violations of electoral law. Despite this the Election Commissioner judged the elections to be peaceful, free and fair.
. In 2008 elections were held for 9 local authorities in Batticaloa District
and in 2009 elections were held for 2 local authorities in the Northern Province
.
The normal term of a local authority is 4 years but the law allows the Central Government to extend this by a further year. The term of 286 local authorities (16 municipal councils, 36 urban councils and 234 divisional councils) which had their election in 2006 was due to expire in 2010 but on 22 December 2009 Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils Janaka Bandara Tennakoon
extended it until 31 March 2011.
On 6 January 2010 A. L. M. Athaullah
, Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils, dissolved 263 local authorities (34 urban councils and 229 divisional councils) precipitating elections. Elections were also called for five newly created local authorities (2 municipal councils and 3 divisional councils). In addition, elections were called for 31 local authorities (4 urban councils and 27 divisional councils) in the Northern Province that had not been functioning as elected bodies for a number of years due to the civil war.
As expected the government did not dissolve the 7 local authorities where 2011 Cricket World Cup
matches were due to be played during February/March (Colombo MC, Dehiwala-Monut Lavinia MC, Hambantota MC, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte MC, Kolonnawa UC, Kundasale DC and Sooriyawewa DC). But in a surprise move the government also did not dissolve 16 other local authorities including all the other existing municipal councils (Anuradhapura MC, Badulla MC, Galle MC, Gampaha MC, Kalmunai MC, Kandy MC, Kurunegala MC, Matale MC, Matra MC, Moratuwa MC, Negombo MC, Ratnapura MC, Ambagamuwa DC, Kandy Gravets & Gangawata Korale DC, Kotikawatte-Mulleriyawa DC and Lunugamvehera DC).
On 18 January 2011 the government announced that the term of 23 local authorities (Anuradhapura MC, Badulla MC, Colombo MC, Dehiwala-Monut Lavinia MC, Galle MC, Gampaha MC, Kalmunai MC, Kandy MC, Kurunegala MC, Matale MC, Matra MC, Moratuwa MC, Negombo MC, Nuwara Eliya MC, Ratnapura MC, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte MC, Hambantota UC, Kolonnawa UC, Hambantota DC, Kandy Gravets & Gangawata Korale DC, Kotikawatte-Mulleriyawa DC, Kundasale DC and Sooriyawewa DC) had been extended until 30 June 2011 using Emergency Regulations. On 30 March 2011 the government announced that the term of 23 local authorities had been extended further until 31 December 2011 using Emergency Regulations. On 25 August 2011 the Department of Elections announced that elections to these 23 local authorities would be held on 8 October 2011.
After the nomination period had ended Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake announced that the elections for the 301 local authorities would be held on 17 March 2011. The 2009 electoral roll was used meaning that approximately 12.7 million registered electors were eligible to vote to elect 3,931 councillors across 301 local authorities (4 municipal councils, 39 urban councils and 258 divisional councils).
The rejections led to 68 writs being filed at the Court of Appeal (UPFA 35, UNP 9, SLMC 6, Independents 11, other parties 7). On 18 February 2011 the Court of Appeal ordered the Election Commissioner to not hold elections in three divisional councils (Akmeemana, Akuressa and Moneragala). This prompted the Election Commissioner to postpone elections in all 64 local authorities subject to legal action. On 22 February 2011 it was announced that elections in two divisional councils in Mullaitivu District
had also been postponed due most of their electors still being held in IDP camps
at Menik Farm. On 11 March 2011 the election for Thunukkai Divisional Council in Mullaitivu District was also postponed due to legal reasons. As a consequence elections were held only in 234 local authorities (3 municipal councils, 30 urban councils and 201 divisional councils) on 17 March 2011. Approximately 9.4 million registered electors were eligible to vote to elect 3,032 councillors.
The deadline for applications for postal voting was originally 16 January but this was later extended to 27 January and then to 31 January. There were 321,595 postal vote applications, nearly 100,000 lower than the 2010 parliamentary election
. The decline in applications was blamed on general voter apathy and broken electoral promises. Postal voting took place on 8 and 9 March 2011.
contested in 319 of the 322 local authorities, including two under the National Congress (a constituent party of the UPFA) name. In two authorities its nominations had been rejected and consequently it gave its backing to an independent group and the Up-Country People's Front in those authorities. The UPFA did not contest in another authority (Thunukkai DC) so that the Citizen's Front, a very minor political party led by UPFA MP Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam, could contest. The United National Party
, the main opposition party, had contested past elections in alliance with smaller parties but these alliances had been plagued by defections to the UPFA. The UNP contested on its own in 317 local authorities. The Democratic National Alliance
didn't contest these elections but its main constituent party the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
contested on its own in 293 local authorities. The Tamil National Alliance
has formed an alliance with smaller Tamil political parties (Tamil United Liberation Front
, People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
and Tamil National Liberation Alliance
). It contested under the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
name in 41 local authorities and Tamil United Liberation Front
name in two local authorities. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
, a constituent party of the UPFA, contested on its own in 59 local authorities and with the UPFA in others. The Up-Country People's Front
and Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, which had contested past elections under the UPFA banner, contested on their own in 22 and 7 local authorities respectively. A number of smaller registered political parties and numerous independent groups also ran.
and parliamentary elections.
After the elections results had been announced Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake issued a highly unusual statement in which he condemned the violence which he labelled as "thuggery", and violations of election laws. "The manner in which some political parties and groups conducted themselves, both before the day of the poll and on the day of the poll, and also the misuse of state resources and state owned media is regrettable" said Dissanayake. He noted the prevalence of intra-party clashes. He also lamented the legal challenges to the nomination rejections which had prevented elections taking place in 301 local authorities as originally intended. Despite this Dissanayake concluded that these election had been better than previous local elections and that the election had been "peaceful, free and fair". Dissanayake retired immediately after the election and was replaced by his deputy Mahinda Deshapriya.
on 16 June 2011 was attacked by the Sri Lankan military. Other acts of intimidation against the TNA by the military and the paramilitary EPDP include the severed head of a dog being impaled on the gates of a TNA candidate in Manipay
; a shot dead dog being thrown into the private well of leading TNA member in Thirunelvely
; sewage, mud and stones being thrown onto the house of a TNA candidate in Valvettithurai
; funeral wreath and cremation ash being left at the home of a TNA candidate in Kodikamam; and motor oil being thrown onto the house of a TNA candidate in Sandilipay
. On the eve of voting government backed paramilitaries confiscated thousands polling cards from voters in Kilinochchi
and threatened them violence.
Despite all this election commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya judged the second phase of the local election to be peaceful with only "minor incidents" reported.
and Duminda Silva
, and their supporters at Mulleriyawa. A gunfight broke out between the two groups which killed Premachandra and three of his supporters. 95 election related violent incidents had been reported to the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections Executive (PAFFREL), an independent election monitoring group, up to 4 October 2011. The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), another independent election monitoring group, concluded that the elections were not free and fair. CaFFE recorded incidents of heavy misuse of state property, illegal propaganda and campaigning, intimidation, assault and failure by the police to uphold electoral law.
) but the UNP was the largest group.
Local government in Sri Lanka
Local government is the third and lowest level of government in Sri Lanka - after the central government and provincial councils. The local government bodies are collectively known as local authorities. They are responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads,...
elections
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...
were held in 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...
on 17 March 2011, 23 July 2011 and 8 October 2011 to elect 4,327 members for 322 of the 335 local authorities in the country. 13.7 million Sri Lankans were eligible to vote in the election. Elections to two other local authorities in Mullaitivu District
Mullaitivu District
Mullaitivu 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 Mullaitivu town...
are due but have been repeatedly postponed due to alleged delays in resettling internally displaced persons. Elections to the remaining 11 local authorities are not due as they had their last election in 2008 or 2009.
The United People's Freedom Alliance
United People's Freedom Alliance
The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:...
's domination of Sri Lankan elections continued as expected. It won control of 270 local authorities (including two contesting as the National Congress), the Tamil National Alliance
Tamil National Alliance
The Tamil National Alliance is a powerful minority Sri Lankan Tamil political alliance in Sri Lanka. It was formed as an amalgamation of moderate Tamil parties as well as number of former rebel groups...
won 32 local authorities (including two contesting as the Tamil United Liberation Front), the 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...
won 9 local authorities, the 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....
won 5 local authorities and a UPFA backed independent group
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...
won one local authority. There was no overall control
No overall control
Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament...
in the five remaining local authorities but the UPFA was the largest group in three, the UNP in one and the Up-Country People's Front
Up-Country People's Front
The Up-Country People's Front is a political party in Sri Lanka.At the last legislative elections, held on 2 April 2004, the party won 0.5% of the popular vote and 2 out of 225 seats. One is an elected seat and the second member of parliament was appointed through the national list of the United...
in one.
These elections, like previous elections in Sri Lanka, had been marred by violence and violations of electoral law. Despite this the Election Commissioner judged the elections to be peaceful, free and fair.
Background
The last major round of local government elections was held in 2006 when elections were held in 288 of the then 330 local authorities. Elections were not held in the remainder due to the ongoing civil warSri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
. In 2008 elections were held for 9 local authorities in Batticaloa District
Batticaloa District
Batticaloa 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 Batticaloa town...
and in 2009 elections were held for 2 local authorities in the 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 normal term of a local authority is 4 years but the law allows the Central Government to extend this by a further year. The term of 286 local authorities (16 municipal councils, 36 urban councils and 234 divisional councils) which had their election in 2006 was due to expire in 2010 but on 22 December 2009 Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils Janaka Bandara Tennakoon
Janaka Bandara Tennakoon
Janaka Bandara Tennakoon is a Sri Lankan politician and a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He's currently the Minister of Lands and Land Development. He was educated at Dharmaraja College, Kandy.-References:...
extended it until 31 March 2011.
On 6 January 2010 A. L. M. Athaullah
A. L. M. Athaullah
Ahamed Lebbe Maraikkar Athaullah is a Sri Lankan politician. He is a representative of Ampara for the United People's Freedom Alliance in the Parliament of Sri Lanka, and was the Minister of Water Supply and Drainage. He is an Old Boy of Akkaraipattu Muslim Central College.-References:...
, Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils, dissolved 263 local authorities (34 urban councils and 229 divisional councils) precipitating elections. Elections were also called for five newly created local authorities (2 municipal councils and 3 divisional councils). In addition, elections were called for 31 local authorities (4 urban councils and 27 divisional councils) in the Northern Province that had not been functioning as elected bodies for a number of years due to the civil war.
As expected the government did not dissolve the 7 local authorities where 2011 Cricket World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
matches were due to be played during February/March (Colombo MC, Dehiwala-Monut Lavinia MC, Hambantota MC, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte MC, Kolonnawa UC, Kundasale DC and Sooriyawewa DC). But in a surprise move the government also did not dissolve 16 other local authorities including all the other existing municipal councils (Anuradhapura MC, Badulla MC, Galle MC, Gampaha MC, Kalmunai MC, Kandy MC, Kurunegala MC, Matale MC, Matra MC, Moratuwa MC, Negombo MC, Ratnapura MC, Ambagamuwa DC, Kandy Gravets & Gangawata Korale DC, Kotikawatte-Mulleriyawa DC and Lunugamvehera DC).
On 18 January 2011 the government announced that the term of 23 local authorities (Anuradhapura MC, Badulla MC, Colombo MC, Dehiwala-Monut Lavinia MC, Galle MC, Gampaha MC, Kalmunai MC, Kandy MC, Kurunegala MC, Matale MC, Matra MC, Moratuwa MC, Negombo MC, Nuwara Eliya MC, Ratnapura MC, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte MC, Hambantota UC, Kolonnawa UC, Hambantota DC, Kandy Gravets & Gangawata Korale DC, Kotikawatte-Mulleriyawa DC, Kundasale DC and Sooriyawewa DC) had been extended until 30 June 2011 using Emergency Regulations. On 30 March 2011 the government announced that the term of 23 local authorities had been extended further until 31 December 2011 using Emergency Regulations. On 25 August 2011 the Department of Elections announced that elections to these 23 local authorities would be held on 8 October 2011.
Phase 1 - 17 March 2011
Nominations took place between 20 and 27 January 2011. 2,047 nominations (1,282 form registered political parties, 765 from independent groups) had been received by the returning officers but 450 nominations (148 form registered political parties, 302 from independent groups), more than a fifth, had been rejected to due errors such as not meeting the youth candidates quota; not having the nomination papers attested by a Justices of the Peace; general secretaries of parties/independent groups not signing the nomination papers; and translation errors. This left a total of 1,597 valid nominations (1,134 form registered political parties, 463 from independent groups). Of the 148 rejected nominations from registered political parties, 36 came from the UPFA, 8 from the UNP, 6 from the SLMC, 2 from the TNA and 2 from the JVP.After the nomination period had ended Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake announced that the elections for the 301 local authorities would be held on 17 March 2011. The 2009 electoral roll was used meaning that approximately 12.7 million registered electors were eligible to vote to elect 3,931 councillors across 301 local authorities (4 municipal councils, 39 urban councils and 258 divisional councils).
The rejections led to 68 writs being filed at the Court of Appeal (UPFA 35, UNP 9, SLMC 6, Independents 11, other parties 7). On 18 February 2011 the Court of Appeal ordered the Election Commissioner to not hold elections in three divisional councils (Akmeemana, Akuressa and Moneragala). This prompted the Election Commissioner to postpone elections in all 64 local authorities subject to legal action. On 22 February 2011 it was announced that elections in two divisional councils in Mullaitivu District
Mullaitivu District
Mullaitivu 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 Mullaitivu town...
had also been postponed due most of their electors still being held in IDP camps
Sri Lankan IDP camps
The final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War created 300,000 internally displaced persons who were transferred to camps in Vavuniya District and detained there against their will. This process, together with the conditions inside the camps and the slow progress of resettlement in 2009 had...
at Menik Farm. On 11 March 2011 the election for Thunukkai Divisional Council in Mullaitivu District was also postponed due to legal reasons. As a consequence elections were held only in 234 local authorities (3 municipal councils, 30 urban councils and 201 divisional councils) on 17 March 2011. Approximately 9.4 million registered electors were eligible to vote to elect 3,032 councillors.
The deadline for applications for postal voting was originally 16 January but this was later extended to 27 January and then to 31 January. There were 321,595 postal vote applications, nearly 100,000 lower than the 2010 parliamentary election
Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 2010
The 2010 Sri Lankan parliamentary election was held on April 8 and April 20, 2010, to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 14th Parliament. 14,088,500 Sri Lankans were eligible to vote in the election at 11,102 polling stations...
. The decline in applications was blamed on general voter apathy and broken electoral promises. Postal voting took place on 8 and 9 March 2011.
Phase 2 - 23 July 2011
On 12 May 2011 the Court of Appeal ordered the Election Commissioner to accept 47 nomination papers which had been rejected. This included all 35 from the UPFA, 4 from the UNP, 3 from the SLMC, one from the Citizen's Front and 4 from Independents. 16 writs were dismissed. On 30 May 2011 the Election Commissioner announced that elections to 67 local authorities would be held on 23 July 2011. It was later announced that elections in two divisional councils in Mullaitivu District (Maritimepattu and Puthukkudiyirupp) had been postponed again due to delays in resettling internally displaced persons from the areas. As a consequence elections were held only in 65 local authorities (1 municipal council, 9 urban councils and 55 divisional councils) on 23 July 2011. Approximately 2.6 million registered electors were eligible to vote to elect 875 councillors. Postal voting took place on 12 July 2011. 55,871 electors could vote by post.Phase 3 - 8 October 2011
On 4 August 2011 the Department of Elections announced that nominations for the remaining 23 local authorities would take place between 18 and 25 August 2011. After the nomination period had ended Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya announced that the elections for the 23 local authorities would be held on 8 October 2011. Elections to the two authorities in Mullaitivu District which had been postponed twice were postponed for a third time on 2 September 2011. Postal voting took place on 29 and 30 September 2011.Contesting parties
The ruling United People's Freedom AllianceUnited People's Freedom Alliance
The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:...
contested in 319 of the 322 local authorities, including two under the National Congress (a constituent party of the UPFA) name. In two authorities its nominations had been rejected and consequently it gave its backing to an independent group and the Up-Country People's Front in those authorities. The UPFA did not contest in another authority (Thunukkai DC) so that the Citizen's Front, a very minor political party led by UPFA MP Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam, could contest. The 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...
, the main opposition party, had contested past elections in alliance with smaller parties but these alliances had been plagued by defections to the UPFA. The UNP contested on its own in 317 local authorities. The Democratic National Alliance
Democratic National Alliance (Sri Lanka)
The Democratic National Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka, formed by retired General Sarath Fonseka and his allies to contest in the 2010 general elections...
didn't contest these elections but its main constituent party 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...
contested on its own in 293 local authorities. The Tamil National Alliance
Tamil National Alliance
The Tamil National Alliance is a powerful minority Sri Lankan Tamil political alliance in Sri Lanka. It was formed as an amalgamation of moderate Tamil parties as well as number of former rebel groups...
has formed an alliance with smaller Tamil political parties (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:...
, People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam is a former Tamil militant group. It is currently a pro-government paramilitary group and political party. PLOTE's political wing is known as the Democratic People's Liberation Front.-Origins:...
and Tamil National Liberation Alliance
Tamil National Liberation Alliance
The Tamil National Liberation Alliance was a Sri Lankan political alliance representing the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was launched on 22 February 2010 as breakaway faction of the Tamil National Alliance . In June 2011 the party was dissolved and its leaders rejoined Tamil...
). It contested under the 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...
name in 41 local authorities and 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:...
name in two local authorities. The 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....
, a constituent party of the UPFA, contested on its own in 59 local authorities and with the UPFA in others. The Up-Country People's Front
Up-Country People's Front
The Up-Country People's Front is a political party in Sri Lanka.At the last legislative elections, held on 2 April 2004, the party won 0.5% of the popular vote and 2 out of 225 seats. One is an elected seat and the second member of parliament was appointed through the national list of the United...
and Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, which had contested past elections under the UPFA banner, contested on their own in 22 and 7 local authorities respectively. A number of smaller registered political parties and numerous independent groups also ran.
Violence and violations of election laws
Sri Lankan elections have a history of violence, misuse of state resources, and other violations of election laws. These local elections have produced more violence than the 2010 presidentialSri Lankan presidential election, 2010
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 2010 was the sixth presidential election of Sri Lanka. The election was announced on 23 November 2009 when incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa decided to seek a fresh mandate prior to the expiration of his term in 2011...
and parliamentary elections.
Phase 1 - 17 March 2011
Over 400 incidents had been reported up to 12 March including three murders. 140 people have been arrested for electoral violence including a number of candidates. As seen in other recent elections, much of the violence, including the three murders, has been caused by intra-party clashes between UPFA candidates. Independent election monitors have criticised the Election Commissioner and the Police for not preventing the violence and violations of electoral law.After the elections results had been announced Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake issued a highly unusual statement in which he condemned the violence which he labelled as "thuggery", and violations of election laws. "The manner in which some political parties and groups conducted themselves, both before the day of the poll and on the day of the poll, and also the misuse of state resources and state owned media is regrettable" said Dissanayake. He noted the prevalence of intra-party clashes. He also lamented the legal challenges to the nomination rejections which had prevented elections taking place in 301 local authorities as originally intended. Despite this Dissanayake concluded that these election had been better than previous local elections and that the election had been "peaceful, free and fair". Dissanayake retired immediately after the election and was replaced by his deputy Mahinda Deshapriya.
Phase 2 - 23 July 2011
The second phase of the election was also marred by violence, misuse of state resources, and other violations of election laws. Hundreds of incidents were reported including one murder. Events in the north of the country were particularly bad. There were reports of vote buying, intimidation by armed groups, grabbing of polling cards, election violations and a general fear psychosis in the north. Independent monitors observed blatant violations including open bribery and the transporting of party supporters to the wide abuse of state machinery and other resources, all in favour of the UPFA. Voters were offered food or even cash for their poll cards. Numerous UPFA government ministers and even the President visited the north during the election campaign, and very often they inaugurated new development projects. The whole state machinery in the north, including the military, police, provincial council and district secretariats, were used to support the campaign of the UPFA. A TNA election meeting in AlaveddyAlaveddy
Alaveddy is an area of South-West Valigamam Division, Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. It consists of five village tracts: Alaveddy North, Alaveddy Centre, Alaveddy East, Alaveddy South and Alaveddy West. Nearby villages are Chunnakam, Makiyappiddy, Sankuveli and Siruvilan...
on 16 June 2011 was attacked by the Sri Lankan military. Other acts of intimidation against the TNA by the military and the paramilitary EPDP include the severed head of a dog being impaled on the gates of a TNA candidate in Manipay
Manipay
Manipay or Maanippaai is an affluent town in the northern Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. The original name of Manipay is Periya pulam. It was a mission location when the American Ceylon Mission came to Sri Lanka in the 19th century. Dr. Samuel Fisk Green founded the Green Memorial Hospital in 1864...
; a shot dead dog being thrown into the private well of leading TNA member in Thirunelvely
Tirunelveli, Sri Lanka
Tirunelveli, Sri Lanka is a small town in Sri Lanka. It is located within Northern Province.-External links:*...
; sewage, mud and stones being thrown onto the house of a TNA candidate in Valvettithurai
Valvettithurai
Valvettithurai or VVT is a small coastal village on the northeast coast of the Jaffna Peninsula in Sri Lanka's north. The population is mainly minority Sri Lankan Tamils of Hindu or Catholic faith. The main industry is farming, fishing and trading...
; funeral wreath and cremation ash being left at the home of a TNA candidate in Kodikamam; and motor oil being thrown onto the house of a TNA candidate in Sandilipay
Sandilipay
Sandilipay is a town located 10 km from the City of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The original name of Sandilipay is Kalvalai. At this location on July 24, 1983 number of ethnic Tamil civilians were shot and killed by Sri lankan Army....
. On the eve of voting government backed paramilitaries confiscated thousands polling cards from voters in Kilinochchi
Kilinochchi
Kilinochchi is a city in the Kilinochchi District, part of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at the A9 road some south-east of Jaffna...
and threatened them violence.
Despite all this election commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya judged the second phase of the local election to be peaceful with only "minor incidents" reported.
Phase 3 - 8 October 2011
The third phase of the election was also marred by violence, misuse of state resources, and other violations of election laws. The election saw five murders, mostly as a result of intra-party rivalry within the UPFA. On 7 October 2011 a UPFA supporter was shot dead in Kotikawatta. On an election day a violent clash erupted between two senior UPFA members, Bharatha Lakshman PremachandraBharatha Lakshman Premachandra
Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra was a Sri Lankan politician a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and Adviser to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.- Political career :...
and Duminda Silva
Duminda Silva
Duminda Silva, also known as Arumadura Lawrence Romelo Duminda Silva and R. Dumindha Silva, is a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament...
, and their supporters at Mulleriyawa. A gunfight broke out between the two groups which killed Premachandra and three of his supporters. 95 election related violent incidents had been reported to the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections Executive (PAFFREL), an independent election monitoring group, up to 4 October 2011. The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), another independent election monitoring group, concluded that the elections were not free and fair. CaFFE recorded incidents of heavy misuse of state property, illegal propaganda and campaigning, intimidation, assault and failure by the police to uphold electoral law.
Results
The UPFA won control of 270 local authorities (including two contesting as the National Congress) across the three phases, the TNA won 32 local authorities (including two contesting as the Tamil United Liberation Front), the UNP won 9 local authorities, the SLMC won 5 local authorities and a UPFA backed independent group won one local authority. The JVP failed to win any local authority. There was no overall control in the five remaining local authorities but the UPFA was the largest group in three, the UNP in one and the Up-Country People's Front in one.Phase 1 - 17 March 2011
The UPFA won control of 205 local authorities (including two contesting as the National Congress), the TNA won 12 local authorities, the UNP won 9 local authorities, the SLMC won 4 local authorities and a UPFA backed independent group won one local authority. There was no overall control in the 3 other local authorities but the UPFA was the largest group in two and the UCPF in one.| Alliances and parties | |% | |Seats | |Local Authorities |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPFA United People's Freedom Alliance The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:... /NC |
3,352,483 | 55.90% | 1,854 | 205 |
| TNA Tamil National Alliance The Tamil National Alliance is a powerful minority Sri Lankan Tamil political alliance in Sri Lanka. It was formed as an amalgamation of moderate Tamil parties as well as number of former rebel groups... |
70,171 | 1.17% | 76 | 12 |
| UNP 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... |
2,031,891 | 33.88% | 889 | 9 |
| JVP 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... |
181,285 | 3.02% | 55 | 0 |
| Others | 361,977 | 6.04% | 158 | 5 |
| No overall control | 3 | |||
| Total | 5,997,807 | 100.00% | 3,032 | 234 |
Phase 2 - 23 July 2011
The UPFA won control of 44 local authorities and the TNA won 20 local authorities (including two contesting as the Tamil United Liberation Front). There was no overall control in the remaining local authority but the UPFA was the largest group.| Alliances and parties | |% | |Seats | |Local Authorities |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPFA United People's Freedom Alliance The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:... |
943,724 | 61.21% | 512 | 44 |
| TNA Tamil National Alliance The Tamil National Alliance is a powerful minority Sri Lankan Tamil political alliance in Sri Lanka. It was formed as an amalgamation of moderate Tamil parties as well as number of former rebel groups... /TULF 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:... |
174,996 | 11.35% | 195 | 20 |
| UNP 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... |
329,031 | 21.34% | 137 | 0 |
| JVP 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... |
42,190 | 2.74% | 13 | 0 |
| Others | 51,863 | 3.36% | 18 | 0 |
| No overall control | 1 | |||
| Total | 1,541,804 | 100.00% | 875 | 65 |
Phase 3 - 8 October 2011
The UPFA won control of 21 local authorities and the SLMC won one local authority. There was no overall control in the remaining local authority (Colombo Municipal CouncilColombo Municipal Council
The Colombo Municipal Council is the local council for Colombo, the largest city and financial centre in Sri Lanka. The council was formed in 1865 and first met in 1866. The municipal council is the oldest and the largest local government authority in Sri Lanka and, as of 2001, covers a resident...
) but the UNP was the largest group.
| Alliances and parties | |% | |Seats | |Local Authorities |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPFA United People's Freedom Alliance The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:... |
524,996 | 51.94% | 245 | 21 |
| UNP 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... |
349,300 | 34.56% | 131 | 0 |
| JVP 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... |
19,027 | 1.88% | 6 | 0 |
| TNA Tamil National Alliance The Tamil National Alliance is a powerful minority Sri Lankan Tamil political alliance in Sri Lanka. It was formed as an amalgamation of moderate Tamil parties as well as number of former rebel groups... |
9,911 | 0.98% | 4 | 0 |
| Others | 107,542 | 10.64% | 34 | 1 |
| No overall control | 1 | |||
| Total | 1,010,776 | 100.00% | 420 | 23 |
Overall
| Alliances and parties | |% | |Seats | |Local Authorities |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United People's Freedom Alliance United People's Freedom Alliance The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:... 1
|
4,821,203 | 56.45% | 2,611 | 270 | ||
| Tamil National Alliance Tamil National Alliance The Tamil National Alliance is a powerful minority Sri Lankan Tamil political alliance in Sri Lanka. It was formed as an amalgamation of moderate Tamil parties as well as number of former rebel groups... 6 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... 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... People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam is a former Tamil militant group. It is currently a pro-government paramilitary group and political party. PLOTE's political wing is known as the Democratic People's Liberation Front.-Origins:... Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization is an Eelam Tamil organisation campaigning for the establishment of an independent Tamil Eelam in the northeast of Sri Lanka. The TELO was originally created as a militant group, and functioned as such until 1986, when most of its membership was killed in a... Tamil National Liberation Alliance The Tamil National Liberation Alliance was a Sri Lankan political alliance representing the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was launched on 22 February 2010 as breakaway faction of the Tamil National Alliance . In June 2011 the party was dissolved and its leaders rejoined Tamil... 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:... |
255,078 | 2.99% | 275 | 32 | ||
| 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... |
2,710,222 | 31.73% | 1,157 | 9 | ||
| 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.... 4 |
140,727 | 1.65% | 72 | 5 | ||
| Independent lists 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... |
219,998 | 2.58% | 77 | 1 | ||
| 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... |
242,502 | 2.84% | 74 | 0 | ||
| Up-Country People's Front Up-Country People's Front The Up-Country People's Front is a political party in Sri Lanka.At the last legislative elections, held on 2 April 2004, the party won 0.5% of the popular vote and 2 out of 225 seats. One is an elected seat and the second member of parliament was appointed through the national list of the United... |
41,798 | 0.49% | 21 | 0 | ||
| Democratic People's Front | 34,423 | 0.40% | 10 | 0 | ||
| All Ceylon Muslim Congress All Ceylon Muslim Congress The All Ceylon Muslim Congress is a Sri Lankan political party representing the Muslim community of Sri Lanka. It was formed in 2008 by four MPs elected to parliament from the opposition Sri Lanka Muslim Congress who had left their party and joined the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance in... 2 |
17,869 | 0.21% | 6 | 0 | ||
| Ceylon Democratic Unity Alliance Ceylon Democratic Unity Alliance Ceylon Democratic Unity Alliance is a political party based amongst plantation Tamils in Sri Lanka. The party was founded ahead of the 2002 municipal elections. Then the party got around 13 500 votes.... |
13,000 | 0.15% | 6 | 0 | ||
| Patriotic National Front | 15,772 | 0.18% | 5 | 0 | ||
| Lanka Sama Samaja Party Lanka Sama Samaja Party The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka.... 3 |
9,872 | 0.12% | 4 | 0 | ||
| Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal | 4,622 | 0.05% | 3 | 0 | ||
| Democratic Unity Alliance | 7,830 | 0.09% | 2 | 0 | ||
| Liberal Party Liberal Party of Sri Lanka The Liberal Party of Sri Lanka began as a think-tank called the Council for Liberal Democracy, founded in 1981 by the late Dr. Chanaka Amaratunga, a longstanding member of the United National Party which was then in government.... |
5,273 | 0.06% | 2 | 0 | ||
| Citizen's Front | 903 | 0.01% | 2 | 0 | ||
| Others | 12,278 | 0.14% | 0 | 0 | ||
| No overall control | 5 | |||||
| Valid Votes | 8,541,092 | 100.00% | 4,327 | 322 | ||
| Rejected Votes | 405,279 | |||||
| Total Polled | 8,946,371 | |||||
| Registered Electors | 13,653,524 | |||||
| Turnout | 65.52% | |||||
| Sources: Department of Elections, Department of Elections, Department of Elections 1. The UPFA United People's Freedom Alliance The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:... contested under the National Congress name in two LAs and UPFA name in 317 LAs. 2. The ACMC All Ceylon Muslim Congress The All Ceylon Muslim Congress is a Sri Lankan political party representing the Muslim community of Sri Lanka. It was formed in 2008 by four MPs elected to parliament from the opposition Sri Lanka Muslim Congress who had left their party and joined the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance in... contested separately in four LAs and with the UPFA United People's Freedom Alliance The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:... in other LAs. 3. The CWC Ceylon Workers' Congress The Ceylon Workers' Congress is a political party in Sri Lanka that has traditionally represented Tamils working in the plantation sector of the economy .- History :... contested separately in one LA and with the UPFA United People's Freedom Alliance The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:... in other LAs. 4. The LSSP Lanka Sama Samaja Party The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka.... contested separately in three LAs and with the UPFA United People's Freedom Alliance The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:... in other LAs. 5. The SLMC 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.... contested separately in 59 LAs and with the UPFA United People's Freedom Alliance The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:... in other LAs. 6. The TNA Tamil National Alliance The Tamil National Alliance is a powerful minority Sri Lankan Tamil political alliance in Sri Lanka. It was formed as an amalgamation of moderate Tamil parties as well as number of former rebel groups... contested under 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:... name in two LAs and 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... name in 41 LAs. |
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