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This mandate means business, SLPP told
With its massive bag of 145 of the 225 parliamentary seats, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has indeed been given a mandate to carry out its policies, other parties accepted while vowing to build up their bases for the next election.
The SLPP itself was triumphant, with party Chairman Professor G.L. Peiris saying voters had heeded President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s request to allow him and the new government a majority capable of granting them power to work effectively.
Despite being only two-and-a-half years old the party had been able to win a massive victory, gaining more than twice the number of votes given to the second-running Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), he said.
“The people wanted to appoint a majority government that could enact the policies and plans of the President. We will not misuse the power given to us,”hesaid, adding that the majority gave the new government power to amend the Constitution.
“There are many distorted areas in the 19th Amendment [to the Constitution]. Therefore, needed amendments can be made.
“From now on we can’t say we have obstacles since now we have the power to act. We do not even need to bargain with parties there to better serve people,” the SLPP Chairman said.
SJB leader Sajith Premadasa said his party planned to win the next election.
“We are satisfied as we have achieved a good result three months after forming the party,” he said, referring to the party’s win of 54 seats.
Mr. Premadasa said the SJB would have garnered more votes if it were not for rumours spread about that the party would not be registered and that votes for the SJB would not be accepted.
“Our journey was not an easy one: there was mudslinging, they cornered us and continued to attack us. We proved, however, that we were able to win 54 seats despite the setbacks,” he said.
Mr. Premadasa thanked the 2.7 million voters who supported the SJB and said he would wisely use the power given to him and his party.
United National Party Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said that the SLPP had gained a great victory and that despite the UNP having served the country well it had suffered a massive defeat.
In a statement, Mr. Kariyawasam said the party faced both internal and external problems but it would resolve these responsibly.
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesman M.A. Sumanthiran said there had been a great swing of votes towards the SLPP.
“We have to accept that. We should appreciate the mandate that the people gave them,” he said.
“Though the TNA suffered a minor setback, yet we are the strongest party in the north-east, having won 10 seats,” Mr. Sumanthiran said. The TNA used to have 16 seats in parliament.
“We will work with the newly elected government while respecting what the people need. We will also try to provide a long-lasting solution Tamil national problem.”
Mr. Sumanthiran said the party was evaluating the reasons for its election setback to strengthen their party in the future.
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Secretary-General Dayasiri Jayasekara said people had voted the SLPP into power in order to have a strong government that would strengthen the President.
“The government has been given adequate strength by the people. The SLFP too is supportive of the government, so now it is time to perform,” he said. “If the new government cannot act according to the people’s mandate it would be a failure as the people have given them the needed power.”
Mr. Jayasekara said although some people had made claims the SLFP would not be re-elected to parliament the party had “proved them wrong as voters have sent 15 of its members to parliament”.
He said officials would concentrate on rebuilding the party within the next few years. In the 2015 election, 95 SLFP MPs were elected.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-led National People Power-NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the alliance had faced a setback.
“Although there is no massive decline in the party’s voter base, when compared to the 2015 general election results which showed the JVP getting 544,154 votes and receiving six seats (Four from electoral districts and two from national list).
He said that although the alliance received more votes than what it polled at the presidential election, this was not the result we expected. At the 2019 presidential election, Mr. Dissanayake got only 418,553 votes or 3.16 percentage of the total votes polled.
At Wednesday’s election, the party only secured three seats – two from districts and one on the national list — after it polled 445,958 votes countrywide.