Colombo, Nov 15 (EFE).- Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power (NPP) party, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Friday secured a landslide victory in the legislative elections held the previous day, winning at least 123 of the 225 seats in Parliament.
Dissanayake was elected president in September but his party did not enjoy much support in the parliament, as it had just three seats.
The NPP required another 113 seats to obtain an absolute majority that would allow it to carry out major reforms in a country plagued by a severe economic crisis and foreign debt.
In the recent snap elections, the NPP led by the Marxist leader obtained more than 60 percent of the votes, according to the country’s elections commission.
NPP’s voter base increased by some 30 percent from the September presidential election, when Dissanayake defeated two of the country’s biggest political heavyweights, then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
The NPP’s tally in the parliament is expected to increase further, especially after more seats are distributed under a proportional seat distribution system, giving it a two-third majority.
This would empower Dissanayake to make constitutional changes in the country, especially in his promised fight against corruption and provide economic relief to the people.
For the first time since Sri Lanka’s independence 74 years ago, the NPP dominated the northern and eastern provinces of the country, where the vote was traditionally marked by ethnic and religious issues.
After casting his vote on Thursday, Dissanayake said the NPP aimed to create a political culture “that unites all provinces—North, South, East, and West—under one government.”
Political analyst Jehan Perera told EFE that the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya, led by Premadasa, which came second in the legislative elections, should consider supporting Dissanayake and his proposals for the country.
Sri Lanka has been experiencing a period of great political and economic instability since 2022, when a series of protests led to the resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the downfall of the powerful Rajapaksa family. EFE
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