Next Sri Lankan parliamentary election
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| Politics of Sri Lanka |
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Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka no later than 21 February 2030. They will determine the composition of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, which determines the government.
Background
The 2024 parliamentary elections resulted in a landslide victory for President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's National People's Power alliance, which won 159 of the 225 seats, securing a two-thirds majority in Parliament.[1][2] The surge in the NPP's seat count from three in the 16th parliament marked a shift in Sri Lankan politics. Reports suggest that Dissanayake's campaign focused on anti-corruption, social welfare and economic revival amidst the country's economic crisis resonated with voters.[3] Harini Amarasuriya, who was appointed prime minister after Dissanayake won the 2024 presidential elections, was re-appointed prime minister on 18 November 2024.[4][5]
In the north and east, a decrease in support amongst Tamil and Muslim voters for traditional ethnic parties were given as reasons for the NPP's success.[6]
The main opposition alliance, Sajith Premadasa's Samagi Jana Balawegaya, won 40 seats, a decrease from the 2020 elections. Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe's New Democratic Front secured five seats, while former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna collapsed from 145 seats in the 2020 election, winning only three seats.
Date of the election
Under Article 70 of the constitution and section 10 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981, the president has the authority to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections after two years and six months from its first sitting or upon receiving a resolution from parliament during its five-year term. The president will be able to dissolve parliament by decree, effective from 21 May 2027.[7]
If the president chooses not to do this, parliament is automatically dissolved five years after the day it first met and a parliamentary election is held within three months of the date of the dissolution. The 17th Parliament opened on 21 November 2024, meaning that if an election is not called, parliament will be automatically dissolved on 21 November 2029, and the latest an election could be held is 21 February 2030.[8]
Electoral system
The Parliament has 225 members elected for a five-year term. 196 members are elected from 22 multi-seat constituencies through an open list proportional representation system with a 5% electoral threshold; voters can rank up to three candidates on the party list they vote for. The other 29 seats are elected from a national list, with list members appointed by party secretaries and seats allocated according to the island-wide proportional vote the party obtains.[9]
Every proclamation dissolving parliament must be published in The Sri Lanka Gazette and must specify the nomination period and the date of the election. The first meeting of the new parliament must occur within four months of the previous parliament's dissolution.[9]
Notes
- ^ Most Sri Lankan Tamil parties such as the ITAK never field candidates outside of the Northern and Eastern provinces (28 seats), thus it is impossible for the ITAK to obtain a majority in parliament.
References
- ^ "Sri Lankan Leader's Leftist Coalition Wins Elections". The New York Times. 2024-11-20. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Party of Sri Lanka's new Marxist-leaning president wins two-thirds majority in parliament". AP News. 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "A resounding victory: On the Sri Lankan election result". The Hindu. 2024-11-15. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Dr. Harini Amarasuriya re-appointed Prime Minister". Ada Derana. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Sri Lanka leader reappoints Amarasuriya as PM, retains finance and defence". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ Wipulasena, Aanya. "'Need a change': Sri Lanka's leftist win sparks hopes, bridges old divides". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "E Resources: Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka – 1978 (Sinhala)". Centre for the Study of Human Rights. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Publications : Constitution (Sinhala, Tamil, English)". Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ a b "Parliament of Sri Lanka - The Electoral System". Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
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