Next Sri Lankan local elections explained

Election Name:Next Sri Lankan local elections
Country:Sri Lanka
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:Yes
Previous Election:2018 Sri Lankan local elections
Previous Year:2018
Seats For Election:8,711 members to 340 local authorities (24 Municipal Councils, 41 Urban Councils and 275 Divisional Councils)
Election Date:TBD
Image1:File:Anura Kumara Dissanayaka.jpg
Leader1:Anura Kumara Dissanayake
Party1:National People's Power
Image3:The former President of Sri Lanka, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa meeting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on September 12, 2018 (1) (cropped).JPG
Leader3:Mahinda Rajapaksa
Party3:Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna
Image4:File:Ranil Wickremesinghe before the funeral of Shinzo Abe.jpg
Leader4:Ranil Wickremesinghe
Party4:United National Party
Image5:Sajith_Premadasa_(portrait).png
Leader5:Sajith Premadasa
Party5:Samagi Jana Balawegaya
Party6:Tamil National Alliance
1Blank:Councillors
2Blank:Councillors ±
3Blank:Local Authorities
4Blank:Local Authorities ±
4Data6:-->

Local elections have not been held in Sri Lanka since 2018. Elections were originally scheduled to be held in 2022, but were postponed to 2023 due to the worsening economic crisis and instability in the country, before being postponed again several times by the government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Currently, there is no official date scheduled for the elections.

More than 16.6 million Sri Lankans are eligible to elect 8,711 members to 340 local authorities comprising 24 Municipal Councils, 41 Urban Councils and 275 Pradeshiya Sabha councils.[1]

Background

Sri Lanka's last local government elections in 2018 resulted in the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) securing a majority with 40% of the vote.[2] [3] [4]

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, contesting under the SLPP, subsequently won the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election, while Mahinda Rajapaksa led the SLPP to victory in the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election.[5] [6]

During their tenure, the SLPP government, faced numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a severe economic crisis. These issues culminated in widespread protests and the 2022 Sri Lankan political crisis.[7]

As a result, Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and resigned as president, while Mahinda Rajapaksa also stepped down as prime minister.[8] [9] Ranil Wickremesinghe was first appointed prime minister and later became acting president following Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation. On 20 July 2022, Wickremesinghe was elected by parliament as the 9th President of Sri Lanka, tasked with completing the remainder of Rajapaksa's term.[10]

In the 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election held on 21 September 2024, Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People's Power (NPP) defeated Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe to become the 10th President of Sri Lanka. In the subsequent 2024 Sri Lankan parliamentary election, the NPP emerged as the largest party, winning a supermajority with 159 elected members and 61.56% of the votes. The NPP subsequently formed the government of Sri Lanka.[11] [12]

Postponing of polls

The 2022 local government elections were postponed indefinitely by President Rajapaksa due to the economic crisis. Despite speculation of further delays, the Election Commission set the date for 9 March 2023. The SLPP, despite opposition claims, was the first to submit election deposits.[13] [14]

On 14 February 2023, postal voting was postponed after the government printer refused to supply ballots without payment, sparking accusations of further delays.[15] By late February, doubts about the election’s feasibility grew due to funding disputes. President Wickremesinghe stated elections should not be held during the crisis, citing financial constraints. On 24 February, the Election Commission officially postponed the elections, initially rescheduled for 25 April.[16] [17] [18] [19]

Opposition parties, including the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, criticised Wickremesinghe’s stance, with Sajith Premadasa pointing out that the UNP had submitted nominations despite no official election schedule.[20]

On 22 August 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that the delay violated voters' rights and ordered the Election Commission to hold the elections immediately.[21]

On 3 December 2024, the cabinet spokesman announced that the cabinet of ministers had approved drafting the Local Government Elections (Special Provisions) Bill to cancel the nominations received in 2023 for the scheduled local elections which were postponed and to call for new nominations.[22]

Recent Sri Lankan election results

Election results
Dates of electionsNational People's PowerSamagi Jana BalawegayaNew Democratic FrontSri Lanka Podujana PeramunaIlankai Tamil Arasu KachchiOthers
Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%
2024 presidential election5,634,91542.31%4,363,03532.76%2,299,76717.27%342,7812.57%407,4733.06%
2024 Elpitiya PS election17,29547.64%7,92421.83%3,5979.91%7,48920.62%
2024 parliamentary election6,863,18661.56%1,968,71617.66%500,8354.49%350,4293.14%257,8132.31%1,207,027 10.22%

Electoral system

See also: Elections in Sri Lanka.

Local authority elections are conducted using a mixed proportional system, as outlined in the Local Authorities Election (Amendment) Acts, No. 22 of 2012, No. 1 of 2016 and No. 16 of 2017. Members are elected through two methods: 60% from wards (both single-member and multi-member) and 40% from proportional representation lists.

The Delimitation Commission has defined the number of wards for all local authorities, with the details published in The Sri Lanka Gazette (No. 1928/26 of 21 August 2015 and No. 2006/44 of 17 February 2017).

Political parties and independent groups must submit two nomination lists, ensuring the total number of candidates equals the required membership of the local authority. Additionally, the proportional list must include three extra candidates.

To ensure women's representation, 10% of the total number of members elected must be women, distributed across both the ward-based and proportional systems. Youth representation was initially set at 25% and later increased to 30%, although it has not been made compulsory.[23]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Election Commission fixes March 9 for local polls . The Sunday Times . 22 January 2023 . 27 November 2024 . 11 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231111180237/https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230122/news/election-commission-fixes-march-9-for-local-polls-509295.html . live.
  2. Web site: Sri Lanka ruling alliance suffers defeat in local polls . Al Jazeera . Riza . M . 11 February 2018 . 27 November 2024 . 26 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626004234/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/2/11/sri-lanka-ruling-alliance-suffers-defeat-in-local-polls . live.
  3. Web site: Mahinda Rajapaksa heading for landslide victory in Sri Lanka local poll . The Indian Express . 11 February 2018 . 27 November 2024 . 11 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231111124746/https://indianexpress.com/article/world/mahinda-rajapaksa-sri-lanka-poll-election-slpp-5059518/ . live.
  4. Web site: LG Election: SLPP obtained 40% votes; media miscalculated: Champika . Daily Mirror . Kanakarathna . Thilanka . 6 March 2018 . 27 November 2024 . 7 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180507085403/http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/LG-Election-SLPP-obtained-votes-media-miscalculated-Champika-146817.html . dead.
  5. Web site: Presidential Election 2019 - All Island Result . Election Commission of Sri Lanka . 17 November 2019 . 27 November 2024 . 18 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240818223036/https://elections.gov.lk/web/wp-content/uploads/election-results/presidential-elections/pre2019/PRE_2019_All_Island_Result.pdf . live.
  6. Web site: Parliamentary Election Results – 2020 . Election Commission of Sri Lanka . 7 June 2020 . 16 October 2024 . 23 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240923133905/https://elections.gov.lk/en/elections/PE_RESULTS_2020_E.html . live.
  7. Web site: Thousands in Sri Lanka insist Rajapaksa family quit politics . Al Jazeera . Rasheed . Zaheena . Kuruwita . Rathindra . 22 April 2022 . 16 October 2024 . 12 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240912200042/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/10/thousands-in-sri-lanka-insist-rajapaksa-family-quit-politics . live.
  8. Web site: Mahinda Rajapaksa: Sri Lankan PM resigns amid economic crisis . BBC . Fraser . Simon . 9 May 2022 . 16 October 2024 . 13 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240913051805/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61381536 . live.
  9. Web site: Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees the country on military jet . BBC . Wong . Tessa . Murphy . Matt . 13 July 2022 . 16 October 2024 . 30 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240930231849/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62132271 . live.
  10. Web site: Sri Lanka: Ranil Wickremesinghe elected president by MPs . BBC . Mao . Frances . Ethirajan . Anbarasan . 20 July 2022 . 28 August 2024 . 27 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240827002929/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62202901 . live.
  11. Web site: Presidential Election Results – 2024 . Election Commission of Sri Lanka . 22 September 2024 . 26 October 2024 . 26 October 2024 . https://archive.today/20241026163557/https://results.elections.gov.lk/pre2024/ . live.
    • For a comprehensive list of election results: Web site: Parliamentary Election 2024 Results . Election Commission of Sri Lanka . 15 November 2024 . 20 November 2024 . 20 November 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241120022043/https://elections.gov.lk/Pages/2024/PE_2024_Results.html . live.
    • For the all-island final result: Web site: Parliamentary Election 2024/11/14 – All-island Result . Election Commission of Sri Lanka . 15 November 2024 . 20 November 2024 . 20 November 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241120022833/https://elections.gov.lk/web/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PE2024/All_Island_Result.pdf . live.
  13. Web site: Sri Lanka to hold local council election on March 9 . The Hindu . 21 January 2023 . 27 November 2024 . 25 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230125143215/https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/sri-lanka-to-hold-local-council-election-on-march-9/article66417333.ece . live.
  14. Web site: 2023-01-09 . Sri Lanka ruling party places election deposits for Colombo, claims ready for polls . 2023-01-28 . EconomyNext . en . 28 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230128032254/https://economynext.com/sri-lanka-ruling-party-places-election-deposits-for-colombo-claims-ready-for-polls-108622/ . live .
  15. Web site: 2023-01-14 . Postal Voting for LG Election postponed indefinitely . 2023-02-16 . NewsFirst . en-US . 16 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230216104915/https://www.newsfirst.lk/2023/02/14/postal-voting-for-lg-election-postponed-indefinitely/ . live .
  16. Web site: 2023-02-23 . WATCH : "There is no election to be postponed" President slams EC . 2023-02-23 . NewsWire . en-US.
  17. Web site: Sri Lanka local council elections officially postponed . Newswire . 24 February 2023 . 27 November 2024 . 30 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231130002008/https://www.newswire.lk/2023/02/24/sri-lanka-local-council-elections-officially-postponed/ . live.
  18. Web site: LG Polls will not be held on March 9 - Elections Commission . Daily Mirror . Husain . Jamila . 24 February 2023 . 27 November 2024 . 29 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329124038/https://www.dailymirror.lk/top_story/LG-Polls-will-not-be-held-on-March-9-Elections-Commission/155-254785 . live.
  19. Web site: Sri Lanka: Local elections date announced after massive protests, apex court’s intervention . WION . Sharma . Mukul . 8 March 2023 . 27 November 2024 . 24 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240324050154/https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-local-elections-date-announced-after-massive-protests-apex-court-intervenes-569961 . live.
  20. Web site: 2023-02-23 . "Why UNP handed over nominations if no election" Sajith questions President . 2023-02-23 . NewsWire . en-US.
  21. Web site: 2024-08-22 . Supreme Court announces major decision over not holding LG polls . 2024-08-22 . Newswire . en-US . 4 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240904042124/https://www.newswire.lk/2024/08/22/supreme-court-announces-major-decision-over-not-holding-lg-polls/ . live .
  22. Web site: Cabinet approves drafting of bill to allow recalling of LG Election nominations . Ada Derana . 3 December 2024 . 3 December 2024 . 3 December 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241203204023/https://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=103963 . live.
  23. Local council elections:

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