Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 2004
Encyclopedia
Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka
on 2 April 2004. The ruling United National Party
of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was defeated, winning only eighty two seats in the 225-member Sri Lankan parliament
. The opposition United People's Freedom Alliance
won 105 seats. While this was eight seats short of an absolute majority, the Alliance was able to form a government.
On 6 April President Chandrika Kumaratunga
commissioned Mahinda Rajapakse, a former Labour Minister, as Prime Minister.
(SLFP), and the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
. Other parties that belong to the People's Alliance
, such as the Communist Party of Sri Lanka
, the Democratic United National Front
, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party
, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya
, later joined UPFA.
In the 2001 election
s, the People's Alliance
and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
had fought separately. Then the JVP won 9.1% of the vote and sixteen seats. At this election it is reported than as many as thirty nine JVP members won seats as UPFA candidates.
The runner-up in the election was the United National Front
(UNF), the front led by the United National Party
. In addition to the UNP, the UNF also had candidates from minor parties such as Ceylon Workers Congress.
Other parties winning seats were the Buddhist, Sinhala
nationalist outfit Jathika Hela Urumaya
(JHU), the pro-LTTE
alliance Tamil National Alliance
(TNA), the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
(SLMC) and the Eelam People's Democratic Party
(EPDP). The Democratic Peoples Liberation Front (the political wing of PLOTE) lost their parliamentary representation.
and promised to take a harder line. The UNF, for its part, stressed the economic gains that had been made with the ceasefire and the need to find a negotiated solution to the civil war
.
The backdrop to polling day was tense, with continued guerrilla
activity by Tamil Tiger separatists and five politically motivated murders in the run-up to the election. However, except for a slightly lower turnout in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
and allegations of fraud in the North
, the election was calm and orderly.
Sri Lanka's Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said that despite reported cases of electoral malpractice in certain polling stations in six electoral districts, there would be no fresh elections in these areas and the results issued by the Commission were final.
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 2 April 2004. The ruling 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...
of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was defeated, winning only eighty two seats in the 225-member Sri Lankan 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 opposition 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:...
won 105 seats. While this was eight seats short of an absolute majority, the Alliance was able to form a government.
On 6 April President Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...
commissioned Mahinda Rajapakse, a former Labour Minister, as Prime Minister.
Parties
The United People's Freedom Alliance was formed as an alliance between President Kumaratunga's party, the Sri Lanka Freedom PartySri 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...
(SLFP), and the leftist 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...
. Other parties that belong to the People's Alliance
People's Alliance (Sri Lanka)
The People's Alliance is a front of political parties in Sri Lanka, formed in 1994.It comprises the following parties:* Sri Lanka Freedom Party* Lanka Sama Samaja Party* Communist Party of Sri Lanka* Sri Lanka Mahajana Party...
, such as the Communist Party of Sri Lanka
Communist Party of Sri Lanka
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka is a communist political party in Sri Lanka. At the last legislative elections, on 2 April 2004, the party was part of the United People's Freedom Alliance that won 45.6% of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats....
, the Democratic United National Front
Democratic United National Front
The Democratic United National Front is a political party in Sri Lanka.At the last legislative elections, held on 2 April 2004, the party was part of the United People's Freedom Alliance that won 45.6 % of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats....
, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Lanka Sama Samaja Party
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka....
, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna is a left-wing political party in Sri Lanka. Today the party is led by Dinesh Gunawardena, son of Philip Gunawardena....
and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya
Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya
The Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya is a political party in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1984 by Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Was led by Chandrika Kumaratunga 1985-1990....
, later joined UPFA.
In the 2001 election
Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 2001
Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on December 6, 2001, just a little over a year after the last elections in October 2000.-Background:The People's Alliance government faced a blow when most of the SLMC MPs left the coalition...
s, the People's Alliance
People's Alliance (Sri Lanka)
The People's Alliance is a front of political parties in Sri Lanka, formed in 1994.It comprises the following parties:* Sri Lanka Freedom Party* Lanka Sama Samaja Party* Communist Party of Sri Lanka* Sri Lanka Mahajana Party...
and 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...
had fought separately. Then the JVP won 9.1% of the vote and sixteen seats. At this election it is reported than as many as thirty nine JVP members won seats as UPFA candidates.
The runner-up in the election was the United National Front
United National Front
The United National Front is an electoral alliance in Sri Lanka, formed by the United National Party the Ceylon Workers' Congress, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Western People's Front...
(UNF), the front led by 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...
. In addition to the UNP, the UNF also had candidates from minor parties such as Ceylon Workers Congress.
Other parties winning seats were the Buddhist, Sinhala
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...
nationalist outfit Jathika Hela Urumaya
Jathika Hela Urumaya
The Jathika Hela Urumaya is a political party in Sri Lanka which is led by Buddhist monks. The JHU was launched in February, 2004 by the lay-based, secular Sinhala nationalist political party Sihala Urumaya. Founding members include Kolonnawe Sumangala Thero, Uduwe Dhammaloka Thero, Ellawela...
(JHU), the pro-LTTE
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
alliance 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...
(TNA), 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....
(SLMC) and the Eelam People's Democratic Party
Eelam People's Democratic Party
The Eelam People's Democratic Party is a political party and a pro-government paramilitary organization in Sri Lanka. It is led by its founder Douglas Devananda.-Background:...
(EPDP). The Democratic Peoples Liberation Front (the political wing of PLOTE) lost their parliamentary representation.
Campaign
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe's UNF government had been in limbo since October 2003, when President Kumaratunga declared a state of emergency and took three key cabinet portfolios for her party. During the campaign, she argued that Wickremasinghe had been too soft on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil EelamLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
and promised to take a harder line. The UNF, for its part, stressed the economic gains that had been made with the ceasefire and the need to find a negotiated solution to the civil war
Sri 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...
.
Voting
Polling booths opened at 07:00 local time and remained open until 16:00 (01:00 to 10:00 UTC). A total of 10,670 polling stations were installed to receive votes from 12.9 million eligible voters. Voter turnout was high, at around 75%.The backdrop to polling day was tense, with continued guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
activity by Tamil Tiger separatists and five politically motivated murders in the run-up to the election. However, except for a slightly lower turnout in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
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...
and allegations of fraud in the North
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 election was calm and orderly.
Sri Lanka's Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said that despite reported cases of electoral malpractice in certain polling stations in six electoral districts, there would be no fresh elections in these areas and the results issued by the Commission were final.
Summary
The United People's Freedom Alliance vote and seat totals are compared with the combined People's Alliance and JVP vote and seat counts at the 2001 election.Electoral District
| District | UNP | UPFA | Other | Valid Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anuradhapura | 148,612 (39.9%) 3 seats |
212,943 (57.2%) 5 seats |
JHU: 8,034 (2.2%) | 372,125 |
| Badulla | 181,705 (49.1%) 5 seats |
178,634 (48.3%) 3 seats |
JHU: 6,932 (1.9%) | 370,178 |
| Batticaloa | 6,151 (2.5%) | 26,268 (10.9%) | ITAK: 161,011 (66.7%) 4 seats SLMC: 43,131 (17.9%) 1 seat |
241,375 |
| Colombo | 441,841 (41.8%) 9 seats |
414,688 (39.2%) 8 seats |
JHU: 190,618 (18.0%) 3 seats |
1,057,966 |
| Digamadulla | 42,121 (14.5%) 1 seat |
111,747 (38.5%) 3 seats |
SLMC: 76,563 (26.4%) 2 seats ITAK: 55,533 (19.1%) 1 seat EPDP: 1,611 (0.5%) JHU: 1,130 (0.4%) |
290,361 |
| Galle | 209,399 (38.7%) 4 seats |
306,385 (56.6%) 6 seats |
JHU: 22,826 (4.2%) | 541,511 |
| Gampaha | 367,572 (37.1%) 6 seats |
509,963 (51.5%) 9 seats |
JHU: 102,516 (19.4%) 2 seats |
990,002 |
| Hambantota | 98,877 (35.4%) 2 seats |
178,895 (64.0) 5 seats |
JHU: 1,538 (0.5%) | 279,310 |
| Jaffna | - | - | ITAK: 257,320 (90.6%) 8 seats EPDP: 18,612 (6.5%) 1 seat SLMC: 1,995 (0.7%) |
284,026 |
| Kaluthara | 212,721 (37.8%) 3 seats |
291,208 (51.7%) 6 seats |
JHU: 56,615 (10.1) 1 seat |
563,019 |
| Kandy | 313,859 (50.0%) 6 seats |
268,131 (42.7%) 5 seats |
JHU: 42,192 (6.7%) 1 seat |
627,866 |
| Kegalle | 186,641 (44.3%) 4 seats |
214,267 (50.9%) 5 seats |
JHU: 18,034 (4.3%) | 421,131 |
| Kurunegala | 340,768 (42.9%) 7 seats |
412,157 (51.9%) 9 seats |
JHU: 37,459 (4.7%) | 793,647 |
| Matale | 100,642 (45.7%) 2 seats |
108,259 (49.2%) 3 seats |
JHU: 8,819 (4.0%) | 220,062 |
| Matara | 139,633 (34.9%) 3 seats |
241,235 (60.3%) 5 seats |
JHU: 16,229 (4.0%) | 400,233 |
| Monaragala | 71,067 (37.0) 2 seats |
117,456 (61.1%) 3 seats |
JHU: 2,675 (1.4%) | 192,113 |
| Nuwara-Eliya | 176,971 (54.0%) 4 seats |
82,945 (25.3%) 2 seats |
JHU: 4,454 (1.4%) Other: 63,239 (19.3%) 1 seat |
327,609 |
| Polonnaruwa | 75,664 (40.8%) 2 seats |
106,243 (57.3%) 3 seats |
JHU: 2,413 (1.3%) | 185,261 |
| Puttalam | 135,152 (46.6%) 3 seats |
142,784 (49.3%) 5 seats |
JHU: 10,000 (3.4%) | 289,763 |
| Ratnapura | 205,490 (41.8%) 4 seats |
261,450 (53.1%) 6 seats |
JHU: 20,801 (4.2%) | 492,003 |
| Trincomalee | 15,693 (8.6%) | 31,053 (17.0%) 1 seat |
ITAK: 68,955 (37.7%) 2 seats SLMC: 65,187 (35.7%) 1 seat JHU: 791 (0.4%) EPDP: 540 (0.3%) |
182,794 |
| Vanni | 33,621 (23.9%) 1 seat |
7,259 (05.2%) | ITAK: 90,835 (64.7%) 5 seats EPDP: 1,097 (0.8%) |
140,377 |