a Resounding victory for UPFA

UNP improves vote base; TNA dominates North

Daily Mirror -  By Sandun A. Jayasekera and Kelum Bandara

As expected the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) emerged as the clear winner at Thursday’s local council polls winning 205 local councils with more than 55 per cent of the valid votes cast while the main opposition United National Party (UNP) won nine local councils with 33.86 per cent of the votes.

The total number of local councils at stake was 234.

Th Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) that had emerged as a third force in local politics failed to win a single local council and even lost its traditional stronghold of Tissamaharama Pradeshiya Sabha where it was relegated to third place.

Despite its weak overall results the UNP won the Pradeshiya Sabahs of Passara, Lahugala, Patha Hewaheta and Urban Councils of Gampola, Kalutara, Kadugannawa, Kuliyapitiya and Seethawakapura and the Bandarawela Municipal Council.

The JVP which was the dominant left-leaning political party in the country for the past few decades wining 39 parliamentary seats at the 2004 general election only obtained 3.15 per cent of the votes cast.

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The main Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which contested under the ‘House’ symbol won nine local councils in the Northern Province and three in the East.  The SLMC which supported the government won four local councils in the Eastern Province -- the Pradeshiya Sabhas of Nindavur, Irakkamam, Adalachchenai and Potuvil.

The Upcountry Peoples Front won the Nuwara-Eliya Pradeshiya Sabha and Independent Group 01 backed by the government secured power in the Pallepola Pradeshiya Sabha in the Matale District.

Another highlight of this election is that the UNP had been defeated in several local councils with the slimmest of margins. For instance it lost Mirigama Pradeshiya Sabha to the UPFA by some 200 votes and Kolonne Pradeshiya Sabha by a single vote.

The UNP also won the newly formed Bandarawela MC but lost the Tangalle Urban Council, a UPFA stronghold by a small margin of 200. However, the UNP lost the Kataragama Pradeshiya Sabha  to the UPFA after 21 years. The UNP controlled the Kataragama PS ever since the Pradeshiya Sabha system was introduced. The JVP had lost its two seats held in the previous Kataragama PS.

The UNP lost the only local council it won in the South in 2006 -- the Malimbada Pradeshiya Sabha.

Interestingly, in Bandarawela the former mayor Nalin Priyantha crossed over to the UPFA from the UNP prior to the election and contested under the betel leaf and was defeated.

Bandarawela Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman crossed over to the UNP and successfully contested for the mayoral post.

The TNA had been able to dominate the Tamil areas in the North and East but the SLMC had failed to win its traditional power bases in Eravur Urban Council, Kattankudi Urban Council and Samanthurai Pradeshiya Sabha, which was won by the UPFA.  The UPFA won all local council bodies in the Gampaha District. The Akkraipattu Municipal Council and the Pradeshiya Sabha were won by the National Congress headed by Minister A.L.M. Athaulla polling more than 90% of the votes cast in the two bodies.

President says thank you

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday paid tribute to all who voted the UPFA to a resounding victory at Thursday’s Local Government Elections saying the voters had once again endorsed the ‘Mahinda Chintana’ policy and the ’Sapiri Gamak – Supiri Ratak’ programme initiated under it to make Sri Lanka the miracle of Asia.

He expressed his deepest gratitude to the people of Sri Lanka who voted for the Mahinda Chintana from 2005 and to the elections commissioner and his staff, the police and the armed forces, public officers and all political parties and candidates who contested the elections.

SLFP General Secretary and Minister Maithripala Sirisena in a message said the Mahinda Chintana policy had once again emerged as the most pragmatic political strategy in Sri Lanka aimed at winning the economic war after winning the war against terrorism. The people in the country have accepted the way the government directs the country. UPFA General Secretary and Minister Susil Premajayantha in a message said the local government polls had proved that the UPFA is the most powerful political force in the country and the ‘’Mahinda Chintana  is the most pragmatic development programme ever introduced in this country.

Minister Premajayantha also thanked all voters who voted for the UPFA and all those who contributed to conduct a free and fair election.