Aug 7 (FT) SLPP said their landslide victory surpassed all expectations and attributed it to the public’s tribute to effective leadership. SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris said that the election results had demonstrated the fullest acknowledgement by the public about the total success that had been achieved by the Govt. “We were always convinced of a massive victory, but this has surpassed all expectations, and more..

Aug 7 (AD) ITAK has managed to secure a victory in the district after polling 79,460 votes (26.66%). ITAK has won 02 seats in the district. TMVP obtained the second highest number of votes in the district with 67,692 votes (22.71%) and secured one seat. Meanwhile, SLMC came in third with 34,428 votes (11.55%) and also won one seat. SLPP received 33,424 votes (11.22%), also managing to secure a parliamentary seat. UPA received 31,054 votes (10.42%) and SJB 28,362 votes (9.52%). more..

Aug 7 (AD) SLPP has managed to secure a significant win with 13 parliamentary seats from Gampaha District. SLPP has received 807,896 votes, marking a 65.76% of total votes. Coming in second place, SJB amassed 285,809 votes (23.27%) to secure 4 seats from the district. JJB managed to score one parliamentary seats, receiving 61,833 (5.03%). However, the UNP could not secure any parliamentary seat, only obtaining 28,282 (2.30%) votes. OPPP gained 21,627 votes (1.76%). more..

Aug 7 (NYT) Prez Rajapaksa’s governing party won a majority of SL’s parliamentary seats, Election Commission announced Friday, bringing the president a step closer in his quest to amend the Constitution and expand his executive power. SLPP expanded its majority, winning 145 of the 150 seats needed to push through expanded powers for the prez and ensure that Mr. Rajapaksa’s older brother, Mahinda, will continue as PM. more..

Aug 7 (AD) Former Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has secured the highest number of preference votes in the District of Badulla. He has received a total of 141,901 votes while Sudarshana Denipitiya obtained 71,766 votes to claim second place. SLPP gained the most votes and secured 06 seats, according to the final results of the Badulla District. SLPP received 309,538 votes (62.06%) to win 06 seats while the SJB was second with 144,290 votes (28.93%)and claim 03 seats. more..

Aug 7 (AD) The results for Jaffna District preferential votes of the General Election 2020 have been released by the Election Commission. ITAK bagged the most votes and secured a total of 03 seats. AITC, SLFP, EPDP, and TMTK have all won a parliamentary seat each. SLFP: Angajan Ramanadan – 36,365 ITAK: S. Shritharan, M. A. Sumanthiran, Dharmalingam Siddarthan AITC: Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam; EPDP: Douglas Devananda; TMTK: C. V. Vigneswaran more..

Aug 7 (FT) The SLPP, led by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, secured a resounding victory in Wednesday’s Parliamentary Elections, by winning 146 of the 225 up for grabs, just four short of the coveted 150 seats needed to secure a two-thirds majority in the Legislature. SLPP swept all districts outside the North and East, winning with massive majorities in almost all electorates. The SLPP secured more than 6.3 million of the votes more..

Aug 7 (AD) Jeevan Thondaman of SLPP has received the highest number of preferential votes in Nuwara-Eliya District. The son of Leader of CWC late Arumugam Thondaman, Jeevan had received 109,155 votes. The remaining four seats won in the district by the SLPP are filled by C.B. Ratnayake, S.B. Dissanayake, M. Rameshwaran and Nimal Piyathissa. Palani Digambaram obtained the most votes in the district for the SJB with 83,392. V. Radhakrishnan and M. Udayakumar have more..

Aug 7 (AD) SLPP has clinched 7 seats with number of votes amounting to 331,573 votes (66.29%). SLPP candidate Kanaka Herath topped the votes from the Kegalle District. SJB claimed 02 seats from Kegalle District as it bagged 131,317 votes (26.25%). SLPP: Kanaka Herath – 128,592; Ranjith Siyambalapitiya – 103,300; Tharaka Balasooriya – 96,763; Rajika Wickramasinghe – 68,802 H. R. Mitrapala – 58,306; Sudath Manjula – 45,970; Udayakantha Goonathilake – 46,628 more..

Aug 7 (FT) Police said post-election violations had been at a minimum, but would continue mobile patrols and maintain additional roadblocks today, with the aim of preventing any new breach of laws. A force of 2,500 Police officers have been pre-deployed to areas identified as high-risk for possible post-election violence, following advice from intelligence agencies, SSP Jaliya Senaratne said yesterday. He said that in addition to more..

Aug 7 (AD) The SLPP won 8 seats while the SJB won 2 seats. SLPP’s Vidura Wickramanayake obtained the highest number of preferential votes (147,958) while Rohitha Abeygunawardena is a close second with 147,472. Sanjeewa Edirimanne, Piyal Nishantha, Jayantha Samaraweera, Anupa Pasqual, Lalith Ellawala and Mahinda Samarasinghe are the SLPP candidates. SJB is represented by Rajitha Senaratne (77,476) and Kumara Welgama (77,083). more..

Aug 7 (AD) The final result of the Colombo District has been released and the SLPP has secured an unprecedented victory in the district, which had hitherto been a UNP stronghold. SLPP received 674,603 votes (57.04%) and won a total of 12 seats in the district while SJB with 387,145 votes (32.73%) secured 06 seats. JJB obtained 67,600 votes (5.72%) and won one seat from the district. UNP led by former PM Wickremesinghe, who contested from the district, only managed 30,875 (2.61%). more..

Aug 7 (AD) The all-island final result of General Election 2020 has been released by the Election Commission. The SLPP has claimed resounding victory in the parliamentary election after polling a total of 6,853,690 votes, which is 59.09% of the total valid votes. The SLPP led by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has secured 128 out of the total 225 seats in the SL Parliament. SJB led by former Opposition Leader more..

Aug 7 (AD) The SLPP, which secured a landslide victory at the 2020 parliamentary election held on August 05, has handed over the party’s National List nominees to the Election Commission. The SLPP led by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa polled 6,853,690 votes (59.09%) at the election and secured a total of 145 seats in parliament including 17 National List seats. Accordingly the party has submitted the following 17 names to the Election Commission to fill the National List seats won by the SLPP. more..

Aug 7 (EN) Stocks opened higher after general elections results gave a large majority to the party of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa but lost momentum amid selling pressure to close flat, dealers said. The rupee was quoted at 185.22/27 in late afternoon trading. Rupee closed on Thursday 185.46/54 to the US dollar. In equities market, Colombo’s All Share Price Index closed 0.37 points down at 5,176.48. The S&P SL20 index of most liquid stocks however gained 0.34% or 7.65 points to close at 2227.19. more..

Aug 7 (AD) Twenty-three more COVID-19 infected individuals have made complete recoveries today, says the Ministry of Health. According to the situation report issued by the Epidemiology Unit, 05 patients at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), 02 at Welikada Base Hospital, 01 at Colombo East Base Hospital, 04 at the Kattankudy Base Hospital and 11 at the Kandakadu Treatment Centre were discharged upon recovery. COVID-19 recuperations confirmed in SL thereby reached 2,564. more..

Aug 7 (EN) Two retired military officers have been elected to Parliament through rival parties, both topping their districts from their respective party lists. The two are Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka and Rear-Admiral (Rtd.) Sarath Weerasekara. Fonseka has topped the SJB list in the preferential votes for the Gampaha District. He got 110,535 votes while controversial former Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake received 103,992, Harshana Rajakaruna 73,617 & Kavinda Jayawardana more..

Aug 7 (EN) National Elections Commission has released the complete list of the elected members and the preferential votes they received. The parties are yet to nominate their National List members which will mostly be shared between the victorious SLPP and the SJB. Kalutara District SLPP: Vidura Wickramanayaka – 147958; Rohitha Abegunawrdena – 147472; Sanjeewa Edirimanne – 105973; Piyal Nishantha – 103904; more..

Aug 7 (AD) Supreme Court has rejected the Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen seeking a court order preventing the CID from arresting him over the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The petition was taken up before the Supreme Court’s three-judge bench consisting of Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare and L.T.B. Dehideniya and S. Thurairajah today. Raising objections, Deputy Solicitor General Nerin Pulle said the interim orders as sought by more..

Aug 7 (TD) The Sri Lanka Podujana Party’s massive victory in the just-concluded SL general elections will tighten the already strong grip of the Rajapaksa family over the island nation and quicken the pace of the country’s march to authoritarian rule. The party secured 59.09% of the vote to win 145 seats in the 225-member Parliament and, along with its allies, it will have 150 seats or a two-thirds majority. This will enable the got to enact sweeping changes to the constitution. more..

Aug 7 (AD) Kurunegala Magistrate has issued arrest warrants on the Mayor of Kurunegala Thushara Vitharana and four others in the case filed over the demolishing of the Buwaneka Hotel, a building of historical value in Kurunegala. The magistrate had issued the arrest warrants on the application of the Attorney General, according to the AG’s Coordinating Officer. AG on Thursday directed the Acting IGP to obtain warrants from more..

Aug 7 (EN) SL voters have chosen two men, one accused of murder and another convicted of killing and sentenced to death as representatives in Parliament in last Wednesday’s Parliamentary General Election. The first is Premalal Jayasekara who is currently on a death sentence for a murder committed during the 2015 election campaign and the other is S. Chandrakanthan who is in remand custody on a murder charge. Both will join the ranks of the got which won an unprecedented more..

Aug 7 (AD) United States has extended its wishes to Sri Lanka for the successful conclusion of the General Election 2020. In its statement published this morning, the Embassy of the US in Colombo said, “On Aug 5, the people of Sri Lanka exercised a fundamental democratic right and went to the polls to elect their next parliament.” US has congratulated Sri Lanka for pulling off the entire election process “in a peaceful and orderly manner despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic.” more..

Aug 7 (EN) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa is saying that by holding an election successfully during the Covid pandemic Sri Lankans have shown their strength and determination. In a message to the Nation, the re-elected Premier thanked the voter for the victory of the SLPP in the 2020 Parliamentary election. SLPP, SL’s ruling party gained an unprecedented two-thirds majority in Parliament under proportional representation more..

Aug 7 (IISS) Implementing key constitutional changes, reviving Sri Lanka’s economy and managing the country’s relations with major powers will be important policy priorities for the SLPP following its landslide election victory, writes Viraj Solanki. The SLPP won 145 seats in the 5 August parliamentary election, and its allies won five seats, giving the SLPP-led political alliance an unprecedented 150 seats and a two-thirds majority in Sri Lanka’s 225-member parliament. more..

Aug 7 (MFA) As of 06 Aug, noon the number of injured Sri Lankans in the explosions in Beirut has increased to 10 persons whereas the total number injured has exceeded 5000 persons. The death toll has increased to 137 and information on numbers of missing persons is presently unavailable. Lebanon declared a state of national mourning for three days while the Supreme Defense Council declared Beirut a disaster city. A state of emergency has been declared for a period of 2 weeks from 4 Aug. more..

Aug 7 (EN) Attributing its stunning routing at the parliamentary elections to internal and external challenges, UNP accepted responsibility for its failures and shortcomings today and vowed to restructure the party going forward. UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam requested party supporters to peacefully accept the outcome of the election. UNP was unable to secure a single parliamentary seat, for the first time more..

Aug 7 (BBC) Just nine months after his impressive win in the presidential election, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has led his Sri Lanka People's Front (SLPP) and allies to a two-thirds majority in the new house, allowing him to name his elder brother, Mahinda, as PM. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is hugely popular among the Sinhalese majority, mostly Buddhists, for crushing the Tamil Tiger separatist rebels in 2009 when he was the defence secretary. Mahinda was the president at that time. more..

Aug 7 (SCMP) Wednesday’s parliamentary polls have reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s faith in the ruling Rajapaksa govt. However, the electoral decimation of the UNP, the nation’s grand old party, and the weakening of the TNA, have a message, especially for the West, which now has to rethink its SL strategy. With the support of two Tamil allies who strategically contested alone, the Rajapaksa-led ruling SLPP now has a total of 151 MPs, including Speaker, in the 225-member Parliament, more..

Aug 7 (NIE) Was the man who died in Coimbatore really Sri Lankan don Angoda Lokka? Was he the same wanted criminal against whom the Interpol had issued a Red Alert? With multiple theories doing rounds, a special team of the CB-CID investigating the case has initiated DNA tests on samples collected from the dead body. A five-member team of officials from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) met more..

Aug 8 (CT) SLPP secured a landslide victory with 145 seats and with the support of the small parties they would be able to secure desired two third majority in the parliament which is 150 seats. The new govt will have to face the serious problem of reviving the economy which was deteriorating over a period. It was aggravated after the Covid-19. Those who governed the country after the independence, those who were in the opposition during that period and the people who have voted in more..

Aug 8 (DM) Could it have been otherwise? The SLPP has swept the boards, claiming bigger majorities where they scored heavily last November (predominantly in the South), conceding (in VERY few cases) reduced majorities or outright defeat to the SJB in others, and bringing the circle to its end by crushing the UNP to third or fourth, sometimes fifth or sixth place. The JVP under its new avatar, the NPP, has retained three seats. But its standing has certainly diminished: more..

Aug 8 (DM) The long awaited 2020 Parliamentary Elections has concluded with a 71% voter turn out despite the difficulties imposed by the COVID -19 Pandemic threat. Appropriate health procedures were followed by the authorities with enthusiastic cooperation of the people. Voter feedback is generally positive about the efficient manner in which the polls were conducted. Independent Election Commission along with Govt officials more..

Aug 8 (CT) This is for everyone who feels as if they have failed, who feel as if they have failed the country, the society we live in, I understand you, because I feel the same. I hear my mother talking over the phone about this presidential election candidate who is said to have sought medical help after his defeat. My mother said, “how can we trust such a spineless person who needed professional help after his defeat?” Her rationale was that one should be strong enough to withstand more..

Aug 8 (Island) If someone asked me what the senior appointment I really loved most was, my answer would be Chief of Staff of SL Navy (Second-in-Command of the Navy) – CoS. The CoS has all the perks—an official bungalow in Colombo 7, vehicles and staff—that the Commander is entitled to, but does not have the same responsibilities as the Commander. He has all the freedom to travel the length and breadth of the country on inspections of major bases, ships & craft. more..

Aug 8 (Island) The voters of Sri Lanka have created the new Kingdom, the Rajapaksa Rajya. This is a very rare example of how a democracy can move into a realm ensuring the sovereignty of a single family. It will certainly be recorded in the history books of this era, documenting the vast move from universal franchise to a grand revival of the royal or Rajya Rule of the past. more..

Aug 8 (Island) It may be quite a while before the Opposition parties figure out what hit them on Wednesday. They are reeling from concussion. The SLPP has secured a steamroller majority in Parliament and needs only a single crossover from the Opposition benches to have two-thirds of MPs on its side; it has 145 seats, and its allies which contested separately in some areas have four seats among them. Time was when it was thought that stable govts were not within the realm of more..

Aug 8 (CT) As SL marks another successful expression of its democracy, let us turn our attention to the elephant in the room. The Easter Sunday terror attacks as well as the COVID-19 pandemic have been burning roadblocks in SL’s post-war recovery, seemingly stopping our bid to rise above the conflict-ridden past to take on new challenges. Things were definitely hopeful for a time and our tiny island showed promise. We started seeing high-rises popping up in Colombo & multilane roads more..