Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance Explained

Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance
Native Name:Sinhala; Sinhalese: ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පොදුජන සන්ධානය
Tamil: ஶ்ரீ லங்கா பொதுஜன சுதந்திர கூட்டமைப்பு
Abbreviation:SLPFA
Leader:Mahinda Rajapaksa[1]
Chairperson:Maithripala Sirisena
General Secretary:Basil Rajapaksa
Predecessor:United People's Freedom Alliance
Successor:Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (Pro-Rajapaksa faction)
People's Alliance (Anti-Rajapaksa faction)
Ideology:Big tent
Factions:
Social democracy[2] [3]
Socialism
Communism
Sinhalese nationalism[4]
Anti-federalism[5]
Anti-imperialism[6]
Position:Big tent
Factions:
Centre-left to far-left
Seats1 Title:Parliament
Seats2 Title:Provincial Councils
Seats3 Title:Local Government
Website:
Country:Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance (abbreviated SLPFA; Sinhala; Sinhalese: ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පොදුජන සන්ධානය|translit=Śrī Laṃkā Nidahas Podujana Sandhānaya; Tamil: ஶ்ரீ லங்கா பொதுஜன சுதந்திர கூட்டமைப்பு|translit=Śrī laṅkā Potujaṉa Cutantira Kūṭṭamaippu) was a political alliance led by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna formed in 2019. Initially, the alliance consisted of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and fifteen smaller parties.

Since 5 April 2022, the alliance has been functionally dissolved, after many of the SLPP's former allies left the SLFPA to join the opposition amidst the Sri Lankan economic crisis and 2022 Sri Lankan political crisis.

History

On 31 October 2019, seventeen parties including the SLPP and SLFP signed an agreement at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo to form the Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance.[7] [8] The seventeen parties included:[9] [10]

The alliance supported SLPP candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the 2019 presidential election.[11] [12] It had planned to contest the 2020 parliamentary election under the chair symbol, the symbol of a previous SLFP-led alliance, the People's Alliance.[13] [14] However, in February 2020 the alliance chose to contest the election under the flower bud symbol of the SLPP.[15] [16]

On 5 April 2022, amidst the Sri Lankan economic crisis and 2022 Sri Lankan political crisis, many of the SLPP's former allies left the SLFPA to join the opposition.

Electoral history


Notes and References

  1. News: Pothmulla . Lahiru . SLPP, SLFP to contest polls from Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Sandanaya . 19 February 2020 . . 17 February 2020 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  2. Web site: BUSINESS TODAY -I Believe in the SLFP. businesstoday.lk.
  3. Web site: Re-nationalizing: New economic policy.
  4. Web site: Perera. Jehan. Prevent Vicious Cycle From Re-Emerging After Election. peace-srilanka.org. The National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. 30 March 2018.
  5. Web site: The Politics of Demonizing Federalism and Depicting It as Separatism. Daily Mirror. 31 October 2019. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  6. Web site: Paradox of Pohottuwa's anti-Americanism with US soft diplomacy in Lankan politics. The Sunday Times. 31 October 2019. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  7. News: Agreement signed to form Podujana Nidahas Sandhanaya . 31 October 2019 . . 31 October 2019 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  8. News: 31 October 2019 . . 31 October 2019 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  9. News: Pothmulla . Lahiru . Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance formed . 31 October 2019 . . 31 October 2019 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  10. News: 17 parties ink agreement to form SLPFA . 31 October 2019 . . 31 October 2019 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  11. News: Senarathna . Nuwan . Sixteen political parties back GR . 31 October 2019 . . 1 November 2019 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  12. News: SLFP-SLPP coalition, Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Alliance formed . 31 October 2019 . . 31 October 2019 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  13. News: Gota to receive 6.5 million votes through SLFP - SLPP alliance : Dayasiri . 31 October 2019 . . 10 October 2019 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  14. News: Ferdinando . Shamindra . Coalition formed to contest 2020 general election under Chair symbol Gotabaya inks pact with large grouping . 31 October 2019 . . 31 October 2019 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  15. News: Senarathne . Nuwan . SLPP-SLFP submit application to register coalition . 19 February 2020 . . 18 February 2020 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  16. News: Mudalige . Disna . SLPP and SLFP to contest general election under new alliance . 19 February 2020 . . 17 February 2020 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.