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| Monday, 12 July 2004 |
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Politics | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
| UNP loses all six Provincial Councils People's power strikes again In a reaffirmation of the peoples' mandate received at the April 2004 General Election, the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) romped home victorious at Saturday's Provincial Council Elections bagging all six Councils, inflicting one of most humiliating defeats suffered by the United National Front (UNF) in an electoral contest. The landslide victory scored by the UPFA is seen as a clear endorsement by the people of the policies followed by the new Government and a vote of confidence in the President to go ahead with her reform program while sending a clear signal to the Opposition to support the Government's initiatives in the best interest of the country.
Of the 118 electorates in the six provinces, the UNP won only 13 constituencies with the UPFA bagging the remaining 105. The voter turnout was between 45 per cent to 50 per cent, a low figure by Sri Lankan standards. The holding of the PC poll just three months after the General Election could be a reason, analysts said. North Central Province Chief Minister elect Berty Premalal Dissanayake speaking to the Daily News noted that the massive victory received by the Freedom Alliance had sealed the peoples' approval towards the Government's program for the country. It is also a reiteration that control at the Centre and the provinces should be in the hands of one political party, he said. The Freedom Alliance recorded its biggest victory in the Southern Province obtaining a majority of 316,572 votes followed by Western Province(303,450),Sabaragamuwa (163,499), North Central Province (135,344) Uva (98,974) and Central Province (16,152). The UPFA recorded big majorities in many electorates. The UNF lost heavily in its traditional strongholds of Kandy and Badulla Districts where it failed to win even a single seat and also lost Wattala and Negombo electorates considered Green bastions. The UPFA wrested control of the Central Provincial Council from the UNF. The Colombo District which is always taken for granted by the UNF was lost this time by the party by majority of 45,894 votes to the UPFA. In Hanguranketha, MP S.B. Dissanayake's seat, the UNF managed to scrape through by a mere 1,500 votes while it lost heavily in Walapane. Pocket boroughs of the party like Mahiyanganaya, Haputale, Passara, Galagedera, Senkadagala and Kundasale were buried under the UPFA avalanche. The UNF could only win Mahanuwara, Hewaheta and Pathadumbara in the Kandy District. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress emerged in the third place, bagging some seats in the Western Province. Many other parties including Eksath Sinhala Maha Sabhawa, Eksath Lalith Peramuna, Eksath Samajawadee Party, Nava Vamansika Party, Kandurata Janatha Peramuna, Jathika Janatha Party, Democratic United National Front (DUNF), Liberal Party, Sri Lanka Progressive Front, Ruhunu Janatha Party, Sinhalaye Maha Sammatha Boomi Putra Party, Sri Lanka Muslim Party, Democratic United Alliance, Sri Lanka Janatha Peramuna, Basnahira Janatha Peramuna and the Nava Vamanshika Peramuna fared badly as expected. The Elections Commissioner's Department announced that it had cancelled the scheduled meeting of Party Secretaries yesterday since there was no need for such an exercise as there was no question of any re-polling and for the Commissioner's intervention to settle other disputes. More than 9.5 million voters were eligible to vote at the PC polls. There were 7,663 polling centres and 768 counting centres. Twenty three recognised political parties and 37 Independent groups fielded 4,134 candidates vying for 316 seats in the six provincial councils. A total of 122,890 government servants manned polling stations and counting centres. This was the first time that the voters in the six provinces cast their ballot on a single day for a PC poll. Elections were held for the second time on a Saturday. This move is aimed at minimising the disruption caused to social life and the economy by holding polls on weekdays. Police deployed over 55,000 personnel to ensure a violence free election and maintain law and order. Five independent monitoring groups monitored the voting process. The five groups were PAFFREL, CMEV, NEMEC, Diriya Foundation and Manawa Sanwardena Sanvidanaya. There were no foreign monitors. |
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Produced by Lake House |
The UPFA won by over one million votes (1,033,998) polling 2,873,239
votes in the six provinces (Western, Southern, Central, North Central, Uva
and Sabaragamuwa) while the main opposition UNF received 1,839,241 votes.
The Wayamba PC poll held in April was also won by the UPFA.
