The ninth presidential election in Sri Lanka is scheduled for September 21, as announced by the Election Commission.
The candidates are actively conducting their election campaigns. Notably, the political landscape for this year’s presidential election has seen significant changes.
The United National Party (UNP) is one of Sri Lanka’s oldest political parties and has played a prominent role in producing presidents and prime ministers since the country’s independence.
However, it is notable that the UNP is noticeably absent in this year’s presidential election. No presidential candidate has emerged from the UNP with its elephant symbol.
Similarly, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Janatha Vimukti Peramuna have also refrained from participating in the election, as their respective party symbols and candidates are absent.
A party leader is running for president independently for the first time
UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe has made history by running as an independent candidate in the presidential election in Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan National Party (SLNP) has been divided, with most members supporting President Ranil Wickremesinghe while others have joined the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB).
Former SLNP leader Maithripala Sirisena has voiced support for Wijayadasa Rajapaksa, an independent candidate from the National Democratic Front(NDF).
The main parties, including the United National Party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, and the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna(JVP), did not run under their logos in this election, marking a departure from past practices.
The elephant, hand, swan and bell- party signs no more
In the presidential election held on November 16, 2019, the candidates Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Sajith Premadasa, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake competed under the logos of ‘Pohottuwa(The bud)’, ‘Swan’ and ‘Malimawa(Compass)’.
The ‘Elephant’, ‘Atha(Hand)’, and ‘Bell’ logos did not have any candidates. However, by the time of the 2024 presidential election, the ‘swan’ symbol had disappeared, leading to discussions in society about its absence.
Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka in 2010, Maithripala Sirisena in 2015, and Sajith Premadasa in 2019 contested under the Swan symbol.
However, this logo had also disappeared by the 2024 presidential election. Additionally, although the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna had planned to present a candidate, it was uncertain whether they would use the ‘Pohottuwa(Bud) ‘ symbol.
Rumours were that businessman Dhammika Perera from the SLNF Party would run for the presidential election, but he later announced that he would not.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna had considered nominating Namal Rajapaksa as the presidential candidate, but the symbol was still unclear.
The compass is a challenge to all parties
The national people’s power has gained significant ground since the 2019 presidential election.
The ‘Compass’ has experienced substantial growth and has strongly influenced established political alliances.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-led ‘Malima(Compass)’ political movement has challenged established figures such as Ranil Wickramasinghe, Sajith Premadasa, and Namal Rajapaksa.
They have been engaging with the public, asserting that the established parties are accountable for the country’s financial issues, thereby reshaping the political landscape. The dynamics of the 2022 ‘struggle’ merit comprehensive examination.
Sajith Premadasa is the presidential candidate for the 2024 election, representing the Telephone symbol of Samagi Jana Balavegaya.
This party, symbolised by a telephone, is a new addition to the political landscape. The National People’s Power, established in 2020, is a youthful party formed to contest the most recent general election.
More value for ‘alliance’ politics
Evidently, ‘coalition’ politics has gained more significance than individual parties in the national political arena, as parties no longer compete solely under their own banner.
This has led to a decline in the influence of traditional party politics, with the recent emergence of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and Samagi Janabalawegaya as newly formed political parties.
Currently, the country has 84 registered political parties, representing 17.1 million voters. This illustrates the significant political complexity that has arisen.
The formation of ‘alliances’ targeted at national elections has also contributed to a polluted political ‘environment’.
When such alliances dissolve, there is a lack of accountability in fulfilling promises made to the country, as evidenced by recent political developments.
The corruption of the political ‘environment
Accordingly, commentators point out that there is a relationship between the increase in the number of registered political parties and the corruption of the political environment.
It is also observed that there is no program to study the functioning of the registered parties, and the entire political system has become like a mafia.
The reason for this is that the environment has been created where parties and alliances can be formed as they wish.
Changes in parliamentary representation
The number of UNP MPs representing the Parliament has been limited to one. The United National Party secured only one national list MP in the last parliamentary election.
Ranil Wickramasinghe entered Parliament for this position, and Vajira Abeywardena was appointed to fill the vacancy due to his potential to ascend to the presidency during the struggle.
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s representation is also restricted to one parliamentary seat, held by Angajan Ramanathan from the Jaffna district.
The remaining 13 MPs representing the SLFP now represent the Parliament as members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.
Meanwhile, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna currently has no representation in the Parliament.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna members, including the appointed councillor, Dr Harini Amarasuriya, will be represented as part of the National People’s Power.
This situation should not be overlooked as it signifies a loss of identity for the political parties. It is the outcome of hastily formed alliances and has resulted in the decay of the political party system.
The alliance process which was strong until the dissolution of the main parties
The alliance process has significantly impacted the political landscape in Sri Lanka, leading to the dissolution of major parties and rendering party constitutions powerless.
The absence of a clear constitution, program, or policy within the alliance process has steered Sri Lankan politics towards a non-progressive trajectory.
There are 15 political parties represented in the Parliament. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, represented by the Bud symbol, holds 145 parliamentary seats.
In addition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, with the telephone symbol, has 54 seats, and the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi has 10 seats.
The National People’s Power, symbolised by the compass, has 3 seats. EPDP and Ahila Illankai Tamil Congress have 2 seats each, and the remaining 9 parties, including SLFP and UNP, hold 1 seat each in the Parliament. This composition of the Parliament is seen as significantly impacting the country’s stability.
Five of the 29 national list seats are divided among five parties, including the United National Party.
In the last presidential election held on November 16, 2019, 35 candidates, including several former MPs, competed.
This year, the Election Commission announced that 27 representatives from recognized political parties and independent candidates have deposited their pledges for the upcoming presidential election.
Deposits for candidates running under-recognized parties are Rs 50,000, while other candidates must deposit Rs 75,000.
Many believe this low monetary guarantee has encouraged more candidates to run for the presidential election. Some argue that this situation is unfortunate.
It is worth noting that only two parties representing the Parliament, the main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the National Jana Balawegaya, have made their deposits for the presidential election this year.
Representation of the people not bound to one party
Dinesh Gunawardena, appointed Prime Minister with the support of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, has now extended his support to Ranil Wickramasinghe.
This is a significant shift in the political landscape. In this year’s presidential election, MPs Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammampila align with Mawbima Janata Party’s leader, entrepreneur, and lawyer, Dilith Jayaweera, the party’s presidential candidate.
This is the first time the party has fielded a presidential candidate, and Dilith Jayaweera has recently taken over as the party’s leader.
As part of this leadership change, Hemakumar Nanayakkara, the former party leader and a former member of Parliament, has been appointed as the senior leader and is supporting Dilith Jayaweera.
Many factors have contributed to political turmoil, including that elected and appointed officials in Sri Lanka’s democracy are not strictly loyal to a single party.
This trend also extends to the upcoming presidential election, as over 120 out of 145 MPs representing the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna have left the party.
The public’s concern that this situation undermines the integrity of the electoral process and is driven by personal interests is valid. This highlights the need for reforms to clean up the country’s parliamentary system.
