Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power (NPP), led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, achieved a decisive parliamentary majority on Thursday, securing 123 out of 171 declared seats, as confirmed by the election commission.
The NPP, contesting under the Malimawa (compass) symbol, received approximately 6.8 million votes, representing 61% of the total votes counted, positioning the party far ahead of its rivals. With 25 seats left to be declared and an additional 29 seats to be allocated based on national polling, the NPP is on track to reach a two-thirds majority. This would bring the party to an absolute majority of 150 seats in Sri Lanka’s 225-member parliament.
A major electoral milestone was achieved in the Tamil-majority Jaffna district, traditionally dominated by Tamil nationalist parties. The NPP, a Sinhala-majority party from southern Sri Lanka, won three out of six seats in Jaffna, marking the first time a Sinhala-majority party has won multiple seats in this culturally significant Tamil district. President Dissanayake hailed this victory as evidence of NPP’s acceptance across communities, stating, “The era of dividing and setting one community against the other has ended as people are embracing the NPP.”
The NPP, originally the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), had historically opposed power-sharing, a significant demand among Tamil communities. However, this shift indicates a newfound appeal of the NPP across Sri Lanka’s ethnic lines.
President Dissanayake dismissed parliament immediately upon assuming office in September, calling for this election one year ahead of schedule. The newly elected parliament is set to convene next week.
