SL heads to crucial Parliamentary polls today

Thursday, 14 November 2024 02:17 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka will hold its Parliamentary Election today, the first since the 2022 economic crisis.

Over 17 million out of the country’s 21 million population will be eligible to cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at more than 13,314 polling stations across the island. Notably, around 1 million voters are first-timers in this election, which will see the selection of a 225-member Parliament for a five-year term.

Voters will directly elect 196 members from 22 constituencies through a proportional representation system, with the remaining 29 seats distributed based on each party’s share of the national vote.

Today’s election will be a crucial test of support for the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) party, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Parliament was dissolved on 24 September following Dissanayake’s Presidential Election victory, as he seeks a solid Parliamentary majority to back his anti-corruption and reform agenda.

The election will see the Western Province district of Gampaha elect 19 MPs, the highest number of any district, followed by the Colombo district with 18 MPs. The Eastern Province district of Trincomalee will elect the fewest, with just four MPs.

The Police have mobilised a robust security force to ensure a smooth and secure election process. A nationwide operation involving approximately 93,000 personnel has been activated, with 70,000 police officers, 10,000 Civil Security Force members, 10,000 military personnel, and 3,000 officers from the Special Task Force deployed across Sri Lanka. A special IGP operations room was also set up yesterday.

International and regional election observers will closely monitor the election. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed short-term observers on 11 November and stationed 13 long-term observers in advance to monitor campaign activities and election preparations. In total, 30 observers, including two electoral analysts, are in place to oversee the voting and counting process.

The International Election Observers (IEO), representing 10 countries, have also expressed their hope for a peaceful election, with full observation of the entire electoral process to ensure a free and fair outcome.

The Election Commission of Sri Lanka is expected to announce the winning party on Friday, with a new Cabinet to be formed immediately.

The newly-elected Parliament is scheduled to convene on 21 November to elect a Speaker, and President Dissanayake will present his throne speech to outline his Government’s key policies on the same day.