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Sri Lankan legislative election, 2004

Legislative elections were held in Sri Lanka on 2 April 2004. The ruling United National Party of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was defeated, winning only 82 seats in the 225-member Sri Lankan parliament. The opposition United People's Freedom Alliance won 105 seats. While this is eight seats short of a majority, it seems likely that the Alliance will be able to form a government.

On 6 April President Chandrika Kumaratunga commissioned Mahinda Rajapakse, a former Labour Minister, as Prime Minister.

The United People's Freedom Alliance was formed as an alliance between President Kumaratunga's party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), and the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. Other parties, that belongs to the People's Alliance , such as the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Democratic United National Front, the Lanka Sama Samaj Party , Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya, later joined UPFA.

In the 2001 elections, People's Alliance and Janatha Vimukti Peramuna had fought separately. Then JVP won 9.1% of the vote and 16 seats. At this election it is reported than as many as 39 JVP members won seats as Freedom Alliance candidates.

The runner-up in the election was the United National Front (UNF), the front led by the United National Party. Except for UNP, UNF also had candidates from minor parties such as Ceylon Workers Congress .

Other parties winning seats were the Buddhist, Sinhala nationalist outfit Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the pro-LTTE alliance Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP). The Democratic Peoples Liberation Front (political wing of PLOTE ) lost their parliamentary representation.

Sri Lanka's Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said that despite reported cases of electoral malpractice in certain polling stations in six electoral districts, there would be no fresh elections in these areas and the results issued by the Commission were final.

Provisional results

National summary of votes and seats

Party Votes % Change Seats Change
Eelam People's Democratic Party 21,860 0.2 -0.6 1 -1
Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi 633,654 6.8 - 22 +22
Jathika Hela Urumaya 554,076 6.0 - 9 +9
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress 186,876 2.0 +0.8 5 -
United National Front 3,410,174 36.8 -8.8 82 -27
United People's Freedom Alliance 4,317,996 46.6 +0.2 105 +12
Other 138,096 1.5 - 1 -15
Total 9,262,732 - - 225 -29

The United People's Freedom Alliance vote and seat totals are compared with the combined People's Alliance and JVP vote and seat counts at the 2001 election.

Votes and seats by electoral district

District UNP UPFA Other Valid
Votes
Anuradhapura 148,612 (39.9%)
3 seats 		212,943 (57.2%)
5 seats 		JHU: 8,034 (2.2%) 372,125
Badulla 181,705 (49.1%)
5 seats 		178,634 (48.3%)
3 seats 		JHU: 6,932 (1.9%) 370,178
Batticaloa 6,151 (2.5%) 26,268 (10.9%) ITAK: 161,011 (66.7%)
4 seats
SLMC: 43,131 (17.9%)
1 seat 		241,375
Colombo 441,841 (41.8%)
9 seats 		414,688 (39.2%)
8 seats 		JHU: 190,618 (18.0%)
3 seats 		1,057,966
Digamadulla 42,121 (14.5%)
1 seat 		111,747 (38.5%)
3 seats 		SLMC: 76,563 (26.4%)
2 seats
ITAK: 55,533 (19.1%)
1 seat
EPDP: 1,611 (0.5%)
JHU: 1,130 (0.4%) 		290,361
Galle 209,399 (38.7%)
4 seats 		306,385 (56.6%)
6 seats 		JHU: 22,826 (4.2%) 541,511
Gampaha 367,572 (37.1%)
6 seats 		509,963 (51.5%)
9 seats 		JHU: 102,516 (19.4%)
2 seats 		990,002
Hambantota 98,877 (35.4%)
2 seats 		178,895 (64.0)
5 seats 		JHU: 1,538 (0.5%) 279,310
Jaffna - - ITAK: 257,320 (90.6%)
8 seats
EPDP: 18,612 (6.5%)
1 seat
SLMC: 1,995 (0.7%) 		284,026
Kaluthara 212,721 (37.8%)
3 seats 		291,208 (51.7%)
6 seats 		JHU: 56,615 (10.1)
1 seat 		563,019
Kandy 313,859 (50.0%)
6 seats 		268,131 (42.7%)
5 seats 		JHU: 42,192 (6.7%)
1 seat 		627,866
Kegalle 186,641 (44.3%)
4 seats 		214,267 (50.9%)
5 seats 		JHU: 18,034 (4.3%) 421,131
Kurunegala 340,768 (42.9%)
7 seats 		412,157 (51.9%)
9 seats 		JHU: 37,459 (4.7%) 793,647
Matale 100,642 (45.7%)
2 seats 		108,259 (49.2%)
3 seats 		JHU: 8,819 (4.0%) 220,062
Matara 139,633 (34.9%)
3 seats 		241,235 (60.3%)
5 seats 		JHU: 16,229 (4.0%) 400,233
Monaragala 71,067 (37.0)
2 seats 		117,456 (61.1%)
3 seats 		JHU: 2,675 (1.4%) 192,113
Nuwara-Eliya 82,945 (25.3%)
2 seats 		176,971 (54.0%)
4 seats 		JHU: 4,454 (1.4%)
Other: 63,239 (19.3%)
1 seat 		327,609
Polonnaruwa 75,664 (40.8%)
2 seats 		106,243 (57.3%)
3 seats 		JHU: 2,413 (1.3%) 185,261
Puttalam 135,152 (46.6%)
3 seats 		142,784 (49.3%)
5 seats 		JHU: 10,000 (3.4%) 289,763
Ratnapura 205,490 (41.8%)
4 seats 		261,450 (53.1%)
6 seats 		JHU: 20,801 (4.2%) 492,003
Trincomalee 15,693 (8.6%) 31,053 (17.0%)
1 seat 		ITAK: 68,955 (37.7%)
2 seats
SLMC: 65,187 (35.7%)
1 seat
JHU: 791 (0.4%)
EPDP: 540 (0.3%) 		182,794
Vanni 33,621 (23.9%)
1 seat 		7,259 (05.2%) ITAK: 90,835 (64.7%)
5 seats
EPDP: 1,097 (0.8%) 		140,377

Background

Polling booths opened at 07:00 local time and remained open until 16:00 (01:00 to 10:00 UTC). A total of 10,670 polling stations were installed to receive votes from 12.9 million eligible voters. Voter turnout was high, at around 75%.

The backdrop to polling day was tense, with continued guerrilla activity by Tamil Tiger separatists and five politically motivated murders in the run-up to the election. However, except for a slightly lower turnout in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and allegations of fraud in the North , the election was calm and orderly.

See also

Last updated: 06-04-2005 22:43:57
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