A Test of NPP's Popularity

Sri Lanka held its Local Government Election (LGE) on May 6 this year with a 62 percent voter turnout.

- SMRUTI S PATTANAIK

Sri Lanka held its Local Government Election (LGE) on May 6 this year with a 62 percent voter turnout. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) secured the majority of votes in 2018. However, this time, the National People's Power (NPP), which enjoys the majority in Parliament and also occupies the presidency, succeeded in 267 of 341 councils, including 29 municipal councils, 36 urban councils and 276 pradeshiya sabhas, winning around 3,900 of the 8,793 local seats.

Notably, the SLPP's electoral outcome in 2018 helped the party win the Presidential election in 2019. However, some analysts believe that the NPP's vote share does not match its performance in the last Presidential election, hinting at the NPP government's declining vote bank. Nevertheless, the rising star of 2018 – the SLPP – and one of the oldest parties, the United National Party (UNP), did not secure any seats. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), a breakaway faction of the UNP, now the opposition party in the Parliament, won a few seats. The SJB and the UNP, putting aside the personal differences between the two parties' leadership, have decided to collaborate in the local bodies.