Rajapakse wins key election. Sri Lanka becomes politically unstable.

HeinzGud

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Mahinda’s Podu Jana Peramuna Leads in Most Elections to Wards in Sinhala Majority Areas With UNP Second and Maithripala’s SLFP a Distant Third; ITAL tops 25 of 34 LG authorities in North.

The recently formed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa seems to have swept a majority of the local government wards in the south at yesterday’s countrywide polls, according to early results that began trickling in late last night.


However, in some councils though the SLPP won most of the wards under the FPP (First Past the Post) system, when the PR (Proportional Representation) quota of votes are counted, a combined Opposition can have more seats in the council than the SLPP.

For example, at the Ambalangoda Urban Council where the SLPP won 10 of the 12 wards, its total number of seats in the 21 member council remain 10, while the UNP won two wards and got four more elected under the PR totaling six, while the UPFA won three seats and JVP two under PR so that the UNP-UPFA-JVP will have 11 seats in the council, one more than the SLPP.
In the north, the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) was set to sweep the poll. Similarly, in the Manthai East Pradeshiya Sabha, the ITAK won four seats under FPP and two more under PR totaling six seats in a 13 member Sabha.


The UNP won four wards under FPP, SLFP won two under PR and EPDP won one seat under PR which means ITAK will have six seats, but the UNP-SLFP-EPDP combine will have seven seats.

The SLPP, the breakaway faction of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) took an early lead winning most of the wards in the Southern, Uva, Sabaragamuwa, North Central and North Western Provinces, while the United National Party (UNP) fared better in urban areas and was expected to win some of the bigger municipalities.

The SLFP-led United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) of President Maithripala Sirisena took a heavy beating across the island, coming a weak third while the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuma (JVP) came fourth in most provinces outside the North and East. In some councils, however, the JVP was expected to pip the UPFA to third place.

There was no official announcement of the election results even by midnight on Saturday. Additional Elections Commissioner M. M.Mohamed said the delay was due to the complexity of allocating seats under the Proportional Representation (PR) system for 40 percent of the seats in the councils.

The SLPP won all the wards under the revived FPP system in the Matara district, except in the Weligama Urban Council where its nomination papers had been rejected. In the Galle district, too, the SLPP won the wards, except in the Galle MC. In the Hambantota district, the SLPP won a majority of the wards, except the Hambantota UC, which went to the UNP as the main party. In the Nuwara Eliya district, the UNP was leading, while in the Matale district, the SLPP was in the front. In the Puttalam district, except for the Puttalam MC, the SLPP was leading in all other councils as counting continued beyond midnight.

In the districts of Kegalle and Ratnapura in the Sabaragamuwa Province, the SLPP was leading in all the councils while in the Monaragala district, too, the SLPP was set to win all the councils under the FPP vote. In the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts, the stronghold of the SLFP General Secretary and Leader respectively, the SLPP was leading except in the Medirigiriya UC where there was a close fight with between the SLPP and the UNP.

Some of the bigger councils in the Colombo district such as Maharagama, Homagama, Kesbewa, Awissawella, Panadura, Kaduwela and Moratuwa too went to the SLPP as the main party to win the wards, while the UNP was leading in the battle for control of the Colombo Municipal Council. In the Gampaha district Kelaniya, Wattala, Biyagama, Gampaha, Divulapitiya, Minuwangoda, Attanagalla and Katana went to the SLPP as the main party.

In the Jaffna district, the ITAK took 25 of the 34 councils while there was a close contest for the Jaffna Municipal Council between the ITAK and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC).

The Chavakachcheri and Point Pedro Urban Councils were won by the ACTC, while the EPDP won in the Kayts and Delft islands.
In the Kilinochchi district, three Praadeshiya Sabhas were won by ITAK while in Vavuniya one UC and three PSs were won by ITAK.

In Mannar, the ITAK won two PSs and the Mannar UC, while the UNP won the Mussali and Manthai Praadeshiya Sabhas.
Around 70 percent of the 15.8 million registered voters cast their votes at yesterday’s elections.

The election, the first to be conducted under a new electoral system, drew more than an expected number of voters. In almost all districts, the percentage of voting was higher than the percentage at the 2012 local council elections.

In the Northern Province, elections to some local council were being held after a lapse of nearly 40 years. Here, too, the voting was high with a turnout in the region of 70 percent.

Police strictly enforced election laws, leading to the arrest of 39 people, including eight candidates while five others were arrested for photographing the ballot paper after marking it.

Election monitoring groups said yesterday’s elections were largely free of violence while voters too showed a keener interest to cast their ballot.

The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) said it had received 145 complaints, of which 22 were major complaints. The People’s Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) said it had received 141 complaints, including the assault of candidates and supporters.

Another monitoring group, the Network for Election Monitoring, said it had recorded about 200 complaints but there were no major incidents. The Campaign for Free and Fair Election (CaFFE) said it had recorded 65 complaints.

President Maithripala Sirisena cast his vote at the Sri Vidyaloka Temple polling booth in Polonnaruwa last morning. He spoke to journalists afterwards and noted that this was the first occasion after many years that when the country saw a peaceful campaign from nominations to Election Day.

He said that after the conclusion of the poll, the Government would work with local councils for sustainable and all-inclusive development in their areas.

The President said he was confident voters would ensure a resounding mandate for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and allied parties.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe cast his vote at the polling center at the College House of the University of Colombo. He told journalists that with the introduction of the mixed electoral system, the local council elections were held in a peaceful atmosphere. He said that under the new system, voters would get a representative responsible for their areas.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who led the election campaign of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) cast his vote at the polling booth at D.A. Rajapaksa Vidyalaya in Medamulana. He said he was confident of a decisive victory for the SLPP that the election would be a stepping stone for a major political revolution in the country. He is expected to hold a news conference today to claim victory at yesterday’s polls.

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake voted at a polling center at Abeysinharama Vihara in Panchikawatte. Mr Dissanayake said the importance of a political change had been deeply felt by the public. The people were actively hoping for such a change and in this backdrop, the JVP was confident of making a strong showing at this election.
Courtesy:Sunday Times

http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/57611
 

Screambowl

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India can't handle both maldieves and lanka together.
May be with Modi he has different chemistry
........................................................................................
 

Adioz

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First communists in Nepal, then Maldives blows up and now Rajapakse set to make a comeback in Sri Lanka. The only consolation is that Zia is behind bars in Bangladesh.

New Delhi needs to think hard, and think now.

Will we get to sign FTA with Sri-Lanka now? I doubt it.
 

nongaddarliberal

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First communists in Nepal, then Maldives blows up and now Rajapakse set to make a comeback in Sri Lanka. The only consolation is that Zia is behind bars in Bangladesh.

New Delhi needs to think hard, and think now.

Will we get to sign FTA with Sri-Lanka now? I doubt it.
Nothing can replace hard economic power. China is simply spending more on these countries, and in the case of maldives is sending more tourists. Let these countries fall into the chinese debt trap for the next 10 years. They will come running back to India, which will be in a much stronger position then.
 

Adioz

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Nothing can replace hard economic power. China is simply spending more on these countries, and in the case of maldives is sending more tourists. Let these countries fall into the chinese debt trap for the next 10 years. They will come running back to India, which will be in a much stronger position then.
If the Chinese are buying influence, their plan would not be to scare these countries away with a debt trap. We should not let our guard down. A lot can happen in 10 years.
 

nongaddarliberal

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If the Chinese are buying influence, their plan would not be to scare these countries away with a debt trap. We should not let our guard down. A lot can happen in 10 years.
India needs to face the of consequence of falling behind china to this extent economically. When a country that had the same GDP as us in 1980 now has an economy 4 times our size, it has real world effects. Either we dig into our pockets and start investing in our neighborhood to outcompete china, or we accept that we cannot compete and shut up for now. We cant be both the turtle which goes slow and steady, while being the rabbit which takes a break and falls asleep.

Our neighbouring countries arent turning pro china because they like noodles or xi jinpings face. Its because in the short to medium term, china is able to provide them a LOT of economic incentives and growth, in a manner we cant or are not willing to provide (I dont know which).
 

HeinzGud

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India needs to face the of consequence of falling behind china to this extent economically. When a country that had the same GDP as us in 1980 now has an economy 4 times our size, it has real world effects. Either we dig into our pockets and start investing in our neighborhood to outcompete china, or we accept that we cannot compete and shut up for now. We cant be both the turtle which goes slow and steady, while being the rabbit which takes a break and falls asleep.

Our neighbouring countries arent turning pro china because they like noodles or xi jinpings face. Its because in the short to medium term, china is able to provide them a LOT of economic incentives and growth, in a manner we cant or are not willing to provide (I dont know which).
India has always turned down pleas of economic help for Sri Lanka. Therefore, the mindset of Sinhalese have turned against India as pro-Tamil. The damage has already been done and India can do nothing about it. China on the other hand had taken the initiative and will likely succeed in securing their foothold in Sri Lanka further.
 

nongaddarliberal

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India has always turned down pleas of economic help for Sri Lanka. Therefore, the mindset of Sinhalese have turned against India as pro-Tamil. The damage has already been done and India can do nothing about it. China on the other hand had taken the initiative and will likely succeed in securing their foothold in Sri Lanka further.
Yeah. Only thing India can do is to make sure Sri Lanka isnt used as a military base against India. But economically, India shouldnt interfere or bother about whats happening between sri lanka and china. Secondly sri lanka's exports a lot more to India than to China, so economic influence will remain.
 

IndiaRising

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Yeah. Only thing India can do is to make sure Sri Lanka isnt used as a military base against India. But economically, India shouldnt interfere or bother about whats happening between sri lanka and china. Secondly sri lanka's exports a lot more to India than to China, so economic influence will remain.
hambantota port....................
 

HeinzGud

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Yeah. Only thing India can do is to make sure Sri Lanka isnt used as a military base against India. But economically, India shouldnt interfere or bother about whats happening between sri lanka and china. Secondly sri lanka's exports a lot more to India than to China, so economic influence will remain.
No self respecting Sri Lankan leader would try to intimidate India by allowing China to place military bases in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, India should let go of their pro-Tamil stance against Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Tamils are not Indians. The Central government must convey this idea to Tamilnadu hard and fast. As for the exports, Sri Lankan exports do not rely heavily on Indian market just as the imports from India. Therefore, export wise Indian economic influence will stay at minimal level.
 

HeinzGud

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First communists in Nepal, then Maldives blows up and now Rajapakse set to make a comeback in Sri Lanka. The only consolation is that Zia is behind bars in Bangladesh.

New Delhi needs to think hard, and think now.

Will we get to sign FTA with Sri-Lanka now? I doubt it.
It is highly unlikely that the proposed FTA would be signed as of now. However, there will be severe backlash from Sinhalese if the government continued to press it forward.
 

Adioz

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There will be severe anti India ground swell in Sinhalese society. Therefore, signing of the proposed FTA with India would be postponed indefinitely.
I have been visiting this site solely for the comments section (to gauge public opinion of India and China): adaderana.lk
How representative are these commentators of the actual sentiment Sinhalese and Lankan-Tamils have w.r.t. India?
How representative are they about actual sentiments of the people of Sri-Lanka regarding China?
 

HeinzGud

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I have been visiting this site solely for the comments section (to gauge public opinion of India and China): adaderana.lk
How representative are these commentators of the actual sentiment Sinhalese and Lankan-Tamils have w.r.t. India?
How representative are they about actual sentiments of the people of Sri-Lanka regarding China?
Well these are actually somewhat well educated middle class people. Also this site is infamous as pro-Rajapakshe news outlet and many of the Rajapakse opposition voice is not represented accurately here. Moreover, the anti India sentiment among the general public (Sinhalese) is much severe than this. It is fairly obvious in social media sites such as Facebook.

Sri Lankan Muslim have more balanced stance with India though they prefer Pakistan better.

Sri Lankan Tamils and specially the state Tamils in the central highlands are pro Indian as Sinhalese are anti Indian.

P.S - You should also visit Colombo Telegraph web site. Which is more of an anti Rajapaksha news outlet. You may find more varied view points regarding many of the domestic issues there.
 

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It is highly unlikely that the proposed FTA would be signed as of now. However, there will be severe backlash from Sinhalese if the government continued to press it forward.
Sri Lanka already sold Hambantota and huge area of land around It for peanuts, I don't see much protests about that, With Rajapaksha win I assume they are not bothered about it anymore.

Indian Bureaucrats need to bribe the right person in Sri Lanka, i.e. Rajapaksha.
 

nongaddarliberal

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No self respecting Sri Lankan leader would try to intimidate India by allowing China to place military bases in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, India should let go of their pro-Tamil stance against Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Tamils are not Indians. The Central government must convey this idea to Tamilnadu hard and fast. As for the exports, Sri Lankan exports do not rely heavily on Indian market just as the imports from India. Therefore, export wise Indian economic influence will stay at minimal level.
I didnt know there was still an issue regarding Tamils in Sri Lanka. Im a Tamil living in Chennai now. There is hardly any talk of Tamil Eelam here anymore, and the issue has all but died down, since the end of your civil war. It's a far cry from the earlier situation when there used to be Prabhakaran posters everywhere here. Now no one even talks about it, there are no more rallies and all the old posters and street art have been removed (mostly). Perhaps it is more a matter of perception due to your media rather than reality that India is raking the Tamil issue, since we in Tamil Nadu itself have forgotten about it, and the central government barely listens to us as it is.
 

HeinzGud

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Sri Lanka already sold Hambantota and huge area of land around It for peanuts, I don't see much protests about that, With Rajapaksha win I assume they are not bothered about it anymore.

Indian Bureaucrats need to bribe the right person in Sri Lanka, i.e. Rajapaksha.
People protested about it initially but the cash trapped Yahapalana government went ahead and signed the deal. Anyhow Sri Lankan people consider Chinese to be lesser evil than Indians.

Indian bureaucrats tried that earlier but found Rajapaksa to be more resilient to bribing. What Indians must understand is that Rajapksa is not like other politicians of Sri Lanka he genuinely have a interest about Sri Lanka and it's people thus we would do his best to keep the Sri Lankan interest upheld.
 

HeinzGud

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I didnt know there was still an issue regarding Tamils in Sri Lanka. Im a Tamil living in Chennai now. There is hardly any talk of Tamil Eelam here anymore, and the issue has all but died down, since the end of your civil war. It's a far cry from the earlier situation when there used to be Prabhakaran posters everywhere here. Now no one even talks about it, there are no more rallies and all the old posters and street art have been removed (mostly). Perhaps it is more a matter of perception due to your media rather than reality that India is raking the Tamil issue, since we in Tamil Nadu itself have forgotten about it, and the central government barely listens to us as it is.
It is rather nice to hear that Tamilnadu has given up their hope to build a friendship with Sri Lankan Tamils. India must see to that Sri Lankan Tamils be let alone to develop themselves.

But, Sinhalese are much more skeptical about Indian intentions specially after Modi's fiasco in Hatton.



I do know that it is only Tamils in India that regards Sinhalese to be their enemies. If the Indian central government changed their stance in UN and help support Sri Lanka defeat UNHR sponsored resolutions actively Sinhalese might see India in a new light.
 

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