Electoral successes under President Rajapaksa
L. S. A. Wedaarachchi
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A leader who feels the pulse of the people |
The UPFA led by President Mahinda
Rajapaksa won each and every election during the last four years with
historic majorities. That demonstrates the people’s confidence in the
UPFA and the enormous popularity President Mahinda Rajapaksa commands.
The natural trend is for governments not only in Sri Lanka but even
in UK, USA, Germany, India or Bangladesh where the democratic political
systems prevail, to decline in popularity with the passage of time.
“The principal feature of interest with regard to the elections is
that, quite contrary to the regular pattern, the Government had
dramatically increased the level of its popularity during the four years
since the Presidential Election”, said Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of
Export Development, International Trade and Acting Minister of Posts and
Telecommunications.
The eradication of LTTE’s ruthless terrorism from this island is a
great victory which cannot be compared to any other great achievement,
since 1948, after our independence from Great Britain. Essentially that
great achievement in uprooting Velupillai Prabhakaran’s terrorist outfit
resulted in President Mahinda Rajapaksa being acknowledged as an astute
leader world over.
The fact to be emphasized is that the President’s popularity as a
great popular leader began to soar into dizzy height after his
assumption of Presidency due mainly to his people-friendly policies and
the down-to-earth lifestyle which he inherited from his great father
D.A. Rajapaksa.
Nature too had blessed him to be an unrivalled political personality.
Evaluating President’s popularity, Galle District MP Chandima Weerakkody
said for the first time in history after Independence, it was President
Mahinda Rajapaksa who placed before the masses a well planned ten-year
economic, social and cultural development blueprint, “The Mahinda
Chintanaya” to be implemented if he was voted to power. Despite a
slender Parliamentary majority at the beginning the President
progressively ensured the passage of Mahinda Chintana policy frame work
enabling the country to reap economical, political and social benefits.
In the interest of National development the President gave top
priority for implementation of such vital projects as Norochcholai,
Kotmale and Trincomalee power generation, projects, Hambantota new
harbour which were either postponed or delayed by the previous
administrations, Weerakkody said.
Sri Lanka was not severely affected by the current global economic
recession. A well-crafted foreign policy and the agricultural and
Industrial development plans insulated the country from the world
economic meltdown. Well organised Western NGO networks and
anti-government forces tried their best to drive the government and the
President into unpopularity. They wanted to keep LTTE horror alive.
Eventually the far-sighted leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa
surmounted all obstacles on its way.
A series of elections which commenced from the Eastern Provincial
Council election on May 10, 2008, ended with Southern Provincial Council
election on October 10, 2009.
The overwhelming majorities scored in the series of the Provincial
Council elections, the eradication of LTTE terrorists, the elimination
of terror leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and Sri Lanka’s victory at the
human rights “crusade” in Geneva, Switzerland have largely increased the
popularity of the UPFA government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The graphic of Provincial Council election results is given below:
The voting percentage of the leading political parties at the Provincial
Council elections from May 10, 2008 to October 10, 2009.
According to the above graphic the UPFA which received only 52% votes
in the Eastern Provincial Council election in May 2008, scored 72.3% and
67.9% percentage in Uva and Southern Provincial Council elections in
August and October, 2009 respectively.Although the assumption is often
made that the proportional representation system initiates against a
two-thirds majority being gained by the winner, recent Provincial
Council elections had produced an outcome which demonstrates that it is
not so.
The Wayamba, Uva and Southern Provincial Council elections gave the
Government a two thirds majority. The Uva Provincial Council election
results put the Government on an even stronger keel.The two thirds
majority threshold was easily surpassed and the results gave the
Government a strength which fell just short of a three fourths majority.
In a comparison of the results of Provincial Councils election from
2004 to 2009, it clearly indicates the UPFA party position and vote bank
had strengthened vastly.
Provincial Council Date UPFA UNP JVP
Eastern 2008.05.10 52.2% 42.4% 1.6%
Sabaragamuwa 2008.08.23 55.3% 40.5% 2.2%
North Central 2008.08.23 56.4% 37.6% 4.9%
Central 2009.02.14 59.5% 38.7% 1.4%
North Western 2009.02.14 69.4% 28.1% 2.1%
Western 2009.04.25 64.7% 29.6% 2.5%
Uva 2009.08.08 72.3% 22.3% 2.5%
Southern 2009.10.10 67.9% 25.1% 6% |
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