2009 Sri Lankan local elections

Local elections were held in Sri Lanka on 8 August 2009 for two local councils in the north of the country: Jaffna Municipal Council and Vavuniya Urban Council.[1] They were the first elections held in the country since the government declared victory in the 26-year-old civil war on 18 May 2009. They were also the first local elections held in the Northern Province in more than 11 years. Both towns had been under government control for many years. The government won the Jaffna Municipal Council contest by securing 13 of the 23 seats.[2] The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won the Vavuniya Urban Council contest by securing 5 of the 11 seats.[2] Turnout was very low in Jaffna (22%) but it was better in Vavuniya (52%).

2009 Sri Lankan local elections
8 August 2009
34 seats across 2 local authorities
Turnout28.09%
  First party Second party
 
Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa R. Sampanthan
Party United People's Freedom Alliance Tamil National Alliance
Popular vote 13,647 12,287
Percentage 41.09% 36.99%
Councillors 15 13
Councils 1 0

Background

On 25 May 2009 the government announced that local elections would be held in Jaffna and Vavuniya.[3] Nominations took place between 18 June 2009 and 25 June 2009. After the nominations closed the Sri Lankan Department of Election announced that the elections would take place on 8 August 2009, the same day as the Uva Provincial Council elections.[4]

The TNA has said that the elections are being held too early, with so many of the electorate displaced.[1] It expected the Jaffna elections to be violent and the results to be rigged, just like the 2008 Eastern Provincial Council elections.[5][6] The United National Party (UNP) and the People’s Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) have called on the election authorities to bring in foreign election observers.[7]

Violence, intimidation and other irregularities

Veerasingham Anandasangaree, president of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), has accused a Tamil government minister of "terrorising the residents of Jaffna in the run-up to the Municipal Council elections".[8] It is believed that the minister Anandasangaree was referring to is Douglas Devananda, leader of the paramilitary Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP).[9]

The UNP has accused the government of obstructing the UNP's campaign in Jaffna and Vavuniya.[10] It says the government is preventing its free movement and has complained to the Election Department. The UNP has also accused armed supporters of the EPDP of threatening its candidates.[11] It has said that the EPDP is using state resources, such as the police, in its election campaigns.

In the early hours of 25 June 2009 armed men attacked newspaper delivery men and burnt thousands of copies of three Tamil language newspapers (Thinakkural, Uthayan and Valampuri) in Jaffna.[12][13][14] The newspapers had refused to print a statement attacking the Tamil Tigers from a shadowy group calling itself the "Tamil Front Protecting the Country". The group telephoned the Thinakkural after the attack and warned that the newspapers would continue to be confiscated and torched until the statement was published. The newspaper published the statement under duress on 26 June 2009.[1]

On 27 June 2009 the group issued further threats against the Uthayan, this time ordering all its staff to resign by 30 June 2009 or face death.[15][16]

On 4 July 2009 two men were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in the Parathipuram area of Vavuniya. The dead men were identified as 39-year-old Nadaraja Ramesh Kantha, principal of Parathipuram Tamil Mixed School, and 31-year-old Gunarathnam Peter Ruben.[17][18]

Jaffna Municipal Council

The last election for Jaffna MC was held on 29 January 1998.[3]

The following six alliances / parties / independent groups' nominations were accepted by the Sri Lankan Department of Election:[19][20]

A total of 174 candidates competed for the 23 seats available on the council.[19][21]

The nominations of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and an independent group (Arumugam Sellathurai) were rejected by the Sri Lankan Department of Election.[20] The SLMC appealed to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka but on 3 July the courts rejected the appeal.[22] There were approximately 10,000 Muslim refugees from Jaffna living in other districts. Of these 7,104 applied to vote in the Jaffna elections.[23] With the elimination of the SLMC and the UNP not fielding any Muslim candidates, most of the Muslims would most likely have voted for the United People's Freedom Alliance.

Extraordinarily there were no applications by Tamil refugees to vote in the Jaffna elections.[23] There are hundreds of thousands of Tamil refugees from the Jaffna peninsula living in other parts of the country, either in refugee camps or with relatives. Many of these are from the Jaffna municipality area.

Veteran politician Veerasingham Anandasangaree is a candidate to become Mayor of Jaffna.[24] Anandasangaree was a TNA Member of Parliament but left the TNA when it started taking a pro-Tamil Tiger stance. Since then he has reconstituted the TULF, a constituent party of the TNA, as a separate political party and formed alliances with government-backed anti-Tamil Tigers paramilitary groups, such as the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), in order to fight elections against the TNA. Most TULF members however remain within the TNA.

Results

The government (UPFA) took control of the Jaffna Municipal Council after securing 13 of the 23 seats.[2]

Alliance / Party / Independent Group Votes % Seats
United People's Freedom Alliance 10,60250.67%13
Tamil National Alliance 8,00838.28%8
Independent Group 11,1755.62%1
Tamil United Liberation Front 1,0074.81%1
United National Party830.40%0
Independent Group 2470.22%0
Valid Votes20,922100.00%23
Rejected Votes1,358
Total Polled22,280
Registered Electors100,417
Turnout (%)22.19%
Source:[25]

The following candidates were elected:

No. Elected Candidate Party Preference
Votes
22Mudiyappu RemediyasTNA4,223
12Thurairajah Illango alias ReganUPFA (EPDP)3,387
1Mohamed Sultan Moulavi SufianInd 11,779
1Anthonypillai MariammaTNA1,678
20Murugiah KomahanUPFA (EPDP)1,573
10Karthigesu Nadarasa KanagaratnamTNA1,442
3Manuel Mangaleswaran alias NesapriyanUPFA (EPDP)1,394
19Meerasahib Mohamed RameezUPFA (ACMC)1,338
14Patkunam YogeswaryUPFA (EPDP)1,250
16Pilevian Expedith CracianUPFA (EPDP)1,166
17Nadarajah RajathevanTNA1,118
19Benjamin JacobTNA1,039
21Mohamed Merasahib MustafaUPFA (ACMC)1,029
18Manikkam KanagaraththinamUPFA (EPDP)1,025
3Ariyakuddy ParamsothyTNA1,007
26Sutharsingh VijiyakanthUPFA (EPDP)989
4Asker Roomi BadurtheenUPFA (ACMC)979
1Ajmaeen AsfarUPFA (ACMC)960
27Suvikaran NishanthanUPFA (EPDP)896
2Anthonipillai CilapotasiousUPFA (EPDP)889
21Mariyakorattry AntonTNA881
5Arulappu KorneliyasTNA826
1Veerasingham AnandasangareeTULF424
Sources:[26][27][28]

The EPDP has nominated Patkunam Yogeswary to be Mayor and Thurairajah Illango to be Deputy Mayor.[29]

Vavuniya Urban Council

The last election for Vavuniya UC was held on 1 March 1994.[3]

The following nine alliances / parties / independent groups' nominations were accepted by the Sri Lankan Department of Election:[19]

A total of 135 candidates competed for the 11 seats available on the council.[19][21]

The TULF (Anandasangaree wing) filed a separate nomination but this was rejected by the Sri Lankan Department of Election.[24]

Results

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) secured 5 of the 11 seats, making it the largest group on Vavuniya Urban Council.[2] The TNA is seeking SLMC support to form a majority administration.[30] The TNA's victory in Vavuniya was seen as a surprise by international observers because many people had predicted the end of the TNA following the LTTE's military defeat.[31][32][33]

Alliance / Party / Independent Group Votes % Seats
Tamil National Alliance 4,27934.81%5
Democratic People's Liberation Front 4,13633.65%3
United People's Freedom Alliance 3,04524.77%2
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress5874.78%1
United National Party2281.85%0
Sri Lanka Progressive Front100.08%0
Independent Group 160.05%0
Independent Group 310.01%0
Independent Group 200.00%0
Valid Votes12,292100.00%11
Rejected Votes558
Total Polled12,850
Registered Electors24,626
Turnout (%)52.18%
Source:[34]

The following candidates were elected:

No. Elected Candidate Party Preference
Votes
2Kanthar Thamotharampillai LinganathanDPLF2,958
14Muttu Sivasami MuguntharathanTNA2,551
1Abdul Pari Muhammadu SareepUPFA2,270
5Rathinasigam SivakumarTNA1,105
7S. N. G. NathanTNA1,099
13Sundaram KumarasamyDPLF962
5Jayasekara Arachchige Dhammika Lalith JayasekaraUPFA952
15Sellaththurai SurenthiranTNA858
3Kandasamy PartheepanDPLF834
1Iyaththurai KanagiahTNA791
2Abdul Latif Mohamed MunawfarSLMC665
Sources:[27][35]

The TNA has nominated S. N. G. Nathan to be Chairman and Muttu Sivasami Muguntharathan to be Deputy Mayor.[36]

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References
  1. Charles Haviland (26 June 2009). "Post-war Sri Lanka vote date set". BBC News. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  2. "Government and pro-rebel party win local elections". The Washington Post. 8 August 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  3. "Sri Lanka to hold local elections". The Straits Times. 25 May 2009. Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  4. "Sri Lanka sets date for first post-war polls". Reuters India. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  5. "JMC election feared to be violence-filled - TNA". TamilNet. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  6. "Burning of newspapers doesn't augur well for free elections: TNA". TamilNet. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  7. Kelum Bandara (7 July 2009). "UNP, PAFFREL call for foreign observers at northern polls". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  8. Sandun A Jayasekera (11 July 2009). "Tamil minister's thugs terrorizing Jaffna: Anandasangaree". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 13 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  9. M.S.M Ayub (18 July 2009). "Reading the Jaffna mind through election". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  10. "UNP charges govt. obstructing campaign". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. 11 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  11. Johan Perera and Sarah Kellapatha (14 July 2009). "State terror in Jaffna: UNP". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  12. "Sri Lankan Government Arrests Famed Astrologer Over Predictions of President's Failure". Fox News. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  13. "RWB express concern on restoring PC". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  14. "Wholesale attack on Jaffna newspapers". TamilNet. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  15. Charles Haviland (1 July 2009). "Death threats to Sri Lanka paper". BBC News. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  16. "'Final Warning' issued to Jaffna Tamil daily Uthayan staffers". TamilNet. 28 June 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  17. Dilini Algama and Rathindra Kuruwita (5 July 2009). "Two Killings in Vavuniya". The Nation on Sunday, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  18. "School principal shot dead in Vavuniyaa". TamilNet. 4 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  19. "Press Room". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. 25 June 2009. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  20. "SLMC, independent group lists rejected in Jaffna". TamilNet. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  21. "News". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 9 December 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  22. S.S. Selvanayagam (4 July 2009). "Court rejects SLMC Rights petition". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  23. "Close fight in Jaffna". The Nation on Sunday, Sri Lanka. 12 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
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  26. "Local Authorities Election 2009 Final Results Jaffna Municipal Council - Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  27. "Election Results- UVA provincial council, Jaffna Municipal Council , Vavuniya Urban Council". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. 10 August 2009. Archived from the original on 12 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  28. "Remdiyas gets highest number of preferential votes in JMC election". TamilNet. 9 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  29. "Patkunam Yogeswary appointed Mayor of JMC". TamilNet. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  30. Kelum Bandara (11 August 2009). "Vavuniya: TNA seeks SLMC support". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  31. "Vavuniya: Upset in Sri Lanka post-war polls". BBC News. 8 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  32. "Mixed results in Sri Lanka polls". Radio New Zealand. 9 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  33. "Tamil party still has strong support in elections". Radio France Internationale. 9 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  34. "Local Authorities Election 2009 Final Results Vavuniya Urban Council". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 10 December 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  35. "Local Authorities Election 2009 Final Results Vavuniya Urban Council - Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  36. "TNA nominates Chairman of Vavuniyaa UC". TamilNet. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.

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