Sri Lanka Consulatela

News Updates Sri Lanka

The legislative elections in Sri Lanka promised to the president’s party

Sri Lanka voted today in parliamentary elections that should unsurprisingly end with the victory of President Rajapakse’s party. The head of state called on voters to give his party, the UPFA , the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution.

Faced with the UPFA , an exploded opposition. The main opponent, the former head of the armies, is behind bars. It was the former Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took up the torch under the colors of the UNP .

If the ruling party is widely favored, it is mainly thanks to the victory last year over the Tamils, which propelled President Rajapakse to the rank of hero. The Tiger rebellion was crushed in May by the military after three decades of bloody conflict. For most Sri Lankans, this election is the first in which they can participate without fear of violence from the separatists.

In the Vavuniya refugee camp, the Tamil minority has high expectations of this election. Now that the war is over, they hope in the first place that their land will be cleared of mines, and that economic and social development will follow.