Record in electoral history:

UPFA achieves the impossible

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

The United People’s Freedom Alliance led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa was able to achieve what was impossible under the current electoral system, under the proportional electoral system. The UPFA created a record in the electoral history of the country by securing the highest ever vote percentage in the overall island-wide results at the 2010 general elections.

As per the official results released by the Elections Department, except for the final district results of Kandy and Trincomalee and the overall island-wide final results which would allocate the national list seats to each political party, the UPFA has been able to secure 117 seats from 20 districts receiving 4,799,272 votes. That was 60.43 percent of the total votes polled in the 20 districts.

It was a landslide victory for the UPFA as its main opponent the United National Front could not even come close to the UPFA in any of the districts except in the North and the East. Even the JVP-backed Democratic National Alliance led by Sarath Fonseka could not offer even the slightest challenge to the unprecedented victory of the UPFA.

This is the highest percentage of votes secured by any political party at any general election held under the proportional electoral system held since 1989. Earlier in 1989, at the first general election held under this system, the United National Party secured 50.71 percent of the votes against the Sri Lanka Freedom Party which secured 31.90 percent.

In 1994 the People’s Alliance secured 48.04 percent of the votes to win the election. In 2001 the UNP secured 45.62 percent of the votes to win the election.

Therefore, securing more than 60 percent of the total votes polled is an unprecedented victory for the UPFA compared to the earlier general election results. According to unofficial reports, the UPFA has been able to secure an estimated 141 seats which is short of only nine seats for a clear two-third majority in the parliament. This unofficial figure includes the seats it is expected to secure from Kandy and Trincomalee and the National list seats.

The UPFA also managed to secure this victory with a large majority compared to the earlier general election. It has been able to maintain a 2.4 million lead even without the announcement of the Kandy and Trincomalee district final results.

Humiliating defeat for Opposition

The overall official election results for the 20 districts indicate that the main opponent, the United National Front could secure only 46 seats from the 20 districts securing only 2,336,691 votes. It was only 29.43 percent of the total votes polled in the 20 districts.

This is the biggest ever defeat the United National Party has suffered in the recent past. Even at the 1994 general election the UNP could secure 3,498,370 votes, 44.04 percent of the total votes.

The UNP could not secure a majority of votes at any of the 20 districts for which results have been officially released by Friday evening. The UPFA managed to take the lead in all districts except for the Jaffna, Vanni and Batticaloa districts. Even the Kandy district, which was a stronghold of the UNP earlier, has gone to the UPFA this time although the final district result has not been released yet.

Despite this setback faced by the UNP, its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has reiterated that he will not step down from its leadership.

The JVP-backed Democratic National Alliance has also failed to achieve what it had predicted prior to the election. They could secure only five seats in the 20 districts. They secured two seats from the Colombo district and one each from Kalutara, Gampaha and Galle districts.

Many JVP heavyweights lost their seats as they could not secure seats at district level. Even the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi lost their vote base in the North and the East as people had decided to distance themselves from the ITAK which cannot fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil people. It is obvious that the ITAK cannot retain their 22 seats in Parliament this time as the UPFA has secured more seats from the North and the East despite the fact that the final result of the Trincomalee district has not been released yet.

Low enthusiasm among voters

Although the country faced one of its crucial general elections last Thursday, voters were less enthusiastic to cast their votes. According to officials, the voter turnout on the election day was between 50 and 55 per cent. This is one of the lowest voter turnouts reported in recent elections history of the island.

Some political parties attributed the low voter turnout to the festive season while some were of the view that it was due to the collapse of people’s trust over the elections procedure and system.

Due to the lower voter turnout, the vote base of both the UPFA and the UNP was reduced compared to the past elections.

Low voter turnout, between 10 and 15 percent, was reported in some areas in the North and the East.

However, a lesser number of cases of election violence were reported on the elections day except for the incidents reported in Nawalapitiya electorate in the Kandy district and in Kumburupiddy in the Trincomalee district.

Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayke decided to annul the voting in 34 polling stations in the Nawalapitiya electorate and one polling station in Kumburupiddy in the Trincomalee electorate.

Re-polling for these stations will take place on April 19. The final results of the general elections will be out only after re-polling is conducted in these polling stations.

District level results

At district level, the UPFA managed to increase its vote percentage over the 2004 election and also the 2010 presidential election as it could take the lead in all districts except for Batticaloa and Vanni.

In almost all districts, the UPFA could secure a vote percentage exceeding two thirds of the total votes polled. The UPFA secured 75 percent of the votes in the Moneragala district, securing four out of the five seats for the first time.

The UPFA secured more than 60 percent of the votes in Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Puttalam, Ratnapura, Polonnaruwa, Matale, Anuradhapura, Kegalle and Kurunegala districts.

Even in the Nuwara Eliya district, the UPFA managed to take the lead by securing 56 percent of the votes against the 36 percent secured by the UNP. In the Colombo district the UPFA secured 51 percent of the votes, which was more than a 11 percent increase over the 2004 general election.

Badulla district, a stronghold of the UNP, was also won by the UPFA with majority votes in all the electorates and securing six seats out of the eight.

In the Matale district too, the UPFA secure 66 percent of the votes and managed to secure four of the five seats.

In the North and the East, the UPFA managed to increase its influence on the voters, having increased its vote base significantly. In the Batticaloa district, the UPFA could secure 34 percent of the votes, an increase of more than 24 percent from the 2004 election.

In Jaffna district the UPFA managed to secure 32 percent of the votes which is a sharp increase over the percentage obtained at the 2004 general election in which the EPDP, which is one of the major allies of the UPFA, received only 6.55 percent of the votes.

The UPFA has been able to increase its vote base in the Vanni district too, having secured 35 percent of the votes. That is more than a 30 percent increase over to the 2004 elections.

The UPFA has been able to take the lead in the Digamadulla district, having increased its vote base to 51 percent from the 38.49 percent in 2004.

Novices take the lead

The UPFA securing an increased number of seats in the Parliament has enabled many new faces to enter the Parliament. The high point is that many new faces have managed to secure the highest preferential votes at district level.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s eldest son Namal Rajapaksa secured the highest number of preferential votes in the Hambantota district 147,566. In the Matara district, master blaster Sanath Jayasuriya obtained the highest number of preferential votes (74,352) from the UPFA list.

Journalist turned politician Buddhika Pathirana obtained 62,499 preferential votes to head the Matara district UNP list.

Former Director General of the Civil Security Department, Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, who had recently entered politics, secured the highest number of preferential votes from the Digamadulla district - 54,373 votes.

Even in the Matale district, newcomer Lakshman Wasantha Perera won the highest preferential votes, having obtained 65,077 votes to become the first in the Matale UPFA list. Wasantha Aluvihare received the highest number of preferential votes in the UNP list in the Matale district. In the Galle district Nishantha Muthuhettigama secured the highest number of preferential votes - 125,777 - from the UPFA list.

Two new faces from the UNF obtained the highest number of preferential votes from the Kalutara district list. Palitha Thevarapperuma (51153) and Ajith Perera (48,588) led the UNP list in the Kalutara district. The UNP secured only two seats from the Kalutara district.

The leader of the Democratic National Alliance, Sarath Fonseka secured the highest number of preferential votes from the DNA for the Colombo district to enter the parliament for the first time. He secured 98,456 votes.

In the Nuwara Eliya district, S. Digambaran secured 39,490 votes to top the district from the UNP list. Sri Ranga who is also making his entry in to parliament has obtained the second highest votes from the Nuwara Eliya UNP list.

Highest preferential votes

Creating yet another record in the election history of the country, Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa received 425,100 preferential votes from the Gampaha district, the highest by any candidate at Thursday’s general election. This is the second highest number of preferential votes received by any member in election history.

Sudharshani Fernandopulle, the wife of late Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle has obtained the second highest preferential votes in the Gampaha district while Minister Mervyn Silva became the third in the Gampaha district UPFA preferential votes list.

In the Colombo district, it was none other than firebrand politician Wimal Weerawansa who obtained the highest preferential votes, 280,672, to top the UPFA Colombo district list.

Duminda Silva recorded the second highest preferential votes from the UPFA in the Colombo district having obtained 146,336 votes. Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka obtained the third highest votes in the Colombo district - 120,333.

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe obtained 230,957 votes to top the UNP preferential votes list in the Colombo district.

SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena topped the UPFA list in the Polonnaruwa district after obtaining 90,118 preferential votes.

Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne led the UPFA list in the Ratnapura district while Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva led the Badulla district UPFA list, having obtained 125,816 votes and 141,990 votes respectively.

Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya came first in the UPFA Kegalle district list, having obtained 141,435 votes.

It was Minister Johnston Fernando who crossed over to the UPFA just before the presidential election that became first in the Kurunegala district UPFA list having obtained 136,943 votes.

Prominent losers

Certain giants in politics, despite their long political careers, lost their seats in parliament. The most prominent figures who lost their seats are Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and Justice Minister Milinda Moragoda. Minister Mano Wijeratne who contested the election from the Kegalle district also lost his seat.

Minister Ferial Ashraff who contested the election from the Digamadulla district has also lost her seat failing to obtain the required number of preferential votes.

Former JVP stalwart Nandana Gunathilake who contested the election from the Kalutara district on the UPFA ticket also couldn’t make his way into parliament this time. Veteran film star Geetha Kumarasinghe and Olympic Silver medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe also could not make the cut.

UNP heavyweight Vajira Abeywardena and Matara district UNP stalwart Sagala Ratnayake also could not make their way to Parliament as the UNP could not secure enough seats at district level.

Most JVP heavyweights such as K. D. Lalkantha, Bimal Ratnayake, Premasiri Manage and Sujatha Alahakoon could not enter the parliament this time.

The people’s wish

At this election the people of this country have given a clear message to the politicians. The requirement of the people is to have politicians who are willing to be with them whatever challenges they may face.

They have ignored their party lines while sending their representatives to Parliament. They have not considered political backgrounds when casting their preferential votes.

What they have considered is what the politicians can deliver to the people when they enter politics. People have also thought of a different political culture by electing people who can make politics more related to people.

Finally, people have positively responded to the request made by the Government to have a strong Parliament that would enable President Rajapaksa to lead the country towards speedy development, to win the development battle in the same way he led the war against terrorism.