Parliamentary elections have been held in Sri Lanka since the first in 1947, under three different constitutions: the Soulbury Constitution, the 1972 Constitution, and the currently enforced 1978 Constitution. Sixteen parliamentary elections have been held up to and including the 2020 election. The seventeenth is scheduled for 14 November 2024.[1]
The current Parliament of Sri Lanka has 225 members elected for a five-year term. 196 members are elected from 22 multi-seat constituencies through an open list proportional representation with a 5% electoral threshold; voters can rank up to three candidates on the party list they vote for. The other 29 seats are elected from a national list, with list members appointed by party secretaries and seats allocated according to the island-wide proportional vote the party obtains.[2]
Every proclamation dissolving parliament must be published in The Sri Lanka Gazette and must specify the nomination period and the date of the election. The first meeting of the new parliament must occur within three months of the previous parliament's dissolution.[3]
History
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In 1833 the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission created the Legislative Council of Ceylon, the first step in representative government in British Ceylon. Initially this council consisted of 16 members which included the British Governor, the 5 appointed members of the Executive Council of Ceylon, 4 other government officials, and 6 appointed unofficial members. In 1889 the number of appointed unofficial members was increased to 8.[4]
Parliamentary elections: 1947–2024
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Main articles: Parliament of Ceylon, National State Assembly, and Parliament of Sri Lanka
See also: List of parliaments of Sri Lanka
Duration
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Dates of nomination, election, dissolution and duration of Parliaments[5]
Parliament Date of Duration
Nomination Election First meeting Dissolved
1st 26 July 1947 23 August – 20 September 1947[f] 14 October 1947 8 April 1952 4 years, 177 days
2nd 28 April 1952 24–30 May 1952[g] 9 June 1952 18 February 1956 3 years, 254 days
3rd 8 March 1956 5–10 April 1956[h] 19 April 1956 5 December 1959 3 years, 230 days
4th 4 January 1960 19 March 1960 30 March 1960 23 April 1960 24 days
5th 20 May 1960 20 July 1960 5 August 1960 17 December 1964 4 years, 134 days
6th 11 January 1965 22 March 1965 5 April 1965 25 March 1970 4 years, 354 days
7th 23 April 1970 27 May 1970 7 June 1970 —N/a 1 year, 350 days
With the promulgation of the 1972 Constitution on 22 May 1972, the 1st National State Assembly superseded the 7th Parliament of Ceylon.
1st —N/a —N/a 22 May 1972 18 May 1977 4 years, 361 days
2nd 6 June 1977 21 July 1977 4 August 1977 —N/a 1 year, 34 days
With the promulgation of the 1978 Constitution on 7 September 1978, the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka (1st Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) superseded the 2nd National State Assembly.
The 1982 referendum on extending the parliamentary term by six years was held in Sri Lanka on 22 December 1982. Through the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, the term of the 8th Parliament was extended until 4 August 1989.
8th —N/a —N/a 7 September 1978 20 December 1988 10 years, 104 days
9th 6 January 1989 15 February 1989 9 March 1989 24 June 1994 5 years, 107 days
10th 11 July 1994 16 August 1994 25 August 1994 18 August 2000 5 years, 359 days
11th 28 August – 4 September 2000 10 October 2000 18 October 2000 10 October 2001 357 days
12th 20–27 October 2001 5 December 2001 19 December 2001 7 February 2004 2 years, 50 days
13th 17–24 February 2004 2 April 2004 22 April 2004 9 February 2010 5 years, 293 days
14th 19–26 February 2010 8 and 20 April 2010 22 April 2010 26 June 2015 5 years, 65 days
15th 6–13 July 2015 17 August 2015 1 September 2015 2 March 2020 4 years, 183 days
16th 12–19 March 2020 5 August 2020 20 August 2020 24 September 2024 4 years, 35 days
17th 4–11 October 2024 14 November 2024 21 November 2024 Incumbent 1 year, 215 days
Elections
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Elections, seats and Prime Ministers[6]
Election Parliament Total seats Turnout Largest party Seats won Seat majority Seat percentage Prime Minister(s) Ref.
1947 1st 95 55.81% United National Party 42 -6 44.21%
D. S. Senanayake (1947–1952)[i]
Dudley Senanayake (1952)
[7][8]
1952 2nd 70.7% United National Party 54 +6 56.84%
Dudley Senanayake (1952–1953)[j]
Sir John Kotelawala (1953–1956)
[9][10]
1956 3rd 69.04% Mahajana Eksath Peramuna 51 +3 53.68%
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (1956–1959)[i]
Wijeyananda Dahanayake (1959–1960)
[11][12]
1960 (March) 4th 151 77.6% United National Party 50 -26 33.11%
Dudley Senanayake
[13][14]
1960 (July) 5th 75.9% Sri Lanka Freedom Party 75 -1 49.67%
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
[15][16]
1965 6th 81.13% United National Party 66 -10 43.71%
Dudley Senanayake
[17][18]
1970 7th 85.2% Sri Lanka Freedom Party 91 +15 60.26%
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
[19][20]
1977[k] 8th 168 86.7% United National Party 140 +55 83.33%
J. R. Jayewardene (1977–1978)[l]
Ranasinghe Premadasa (1978–1989)[m]
[21][22]
1989[n] 9th 225 63.6% United National Party 125 +12 55.56%
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (1989–1993)[o]
Ranil Wickremesinghe (1993–1994)
[23]
1994 10th 76.24% People's Alliance 105 -8 46.67%
Chandrika Kumaratunga (1994)[p]
Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1994–2000)[j]
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (2000)
[24]
2000 11th 75.63% People's Alliance 107 -6 47.56%
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
[25][26]
2001 12th 76.03% United National Front 96 -17 42.67%
Ranil Wickremesinghe
[27][28]
2004 13th 75.96% United People's Freedom Alliance 105 -8 46.67%
Mahinda Rajapaksa (2004–2005)[q]
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (2005–2010)
[29][30]
2010 14th 61.26% United People's Freedom Alliance 144 +31 64%
D. M. Jayaratne (2010–2015)[j]
Ranil Wickremesinghe (2015)[r]
[31]
2015 15th 77.66% United National Front 106 -7 47.11%
Ranil Wickremesinghe (2015–2018)[s]
Mahinda Rajapaksa (2018)[t]
Ranil Wickremesinghe (2018–2019)[u][j]
Mahinda Rajapaksa (2019–2020)[v]
[32]
2020 16th 75.89% Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance 145 +32 64.44%
Mahinda Rajapaksa (2020–2022)[j]
Ranil Wickremesinghe (2022)[w][x]
Dinesh Gunawardena (2022–2024)[y][j]
Harini Amarasuriya (2024)[z]
[33]
2024 17th 68.93% National People's Power 159 +46 70.67%
Harini Amarasuriya (2024–present)
[34]
Notes
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McCallum Reforms of 1910
First Manning Reforms of 1920
Second Manning Reforms of 1923
13 and 15–20 June 1931
22, 24–29 February, 2–3, 5, and 7 March 1936
23, 25–30 August, 1, 4, 6, 8–11, 13, 15–18 and 20 September 1947
24, 26, 28 and 30 May 1952
5, 7, and 10 April 1956
Died in office.
Resigned.
The election was delayed until 1977 using the 1972 Constitution, instead of holding it by 1975 as required under the old Soulbury Constitution.
Appointed as the 1st Executive President of Sri Lanka through a constitutional amendment on 4 February 1978.
Elected as president on 19 December 1988 and was sworn in on 2 January 1989.
The 1989 parliamentary election was the first since 1977, as the election due by 1983 had been cancelled by the 1982 referendum.
Elected unanimously by the parliament as president to complete the remainder of Ranasinghe Premadasa's term and was sworn in on 7 May 1993.
Elected as president on 9 November 1994 and was sworn in on 12 November 1994.
Elected as president on 17 November 2005 and was sworn in on 19 November 2005.
Appointed as prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena on 9 January 2015 following his victory in the 2015 presidential election.
Dismissed from office by President Maithripala Sirisena on 26 October 2018.
Appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena as prime minister on 26 October 2018. After failing to secure a vote of majority support in the House, Rajapaksa's duties were suspended by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Subsequently resigned from office on 15 December 2018.
Restored as prime minister after the 2018 Sri Lankan constitutional crisis on 16 December 2018.
Appointed as prime minister by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 21 November 2019 following his victory in the 2019 presidential election.
Appointed as prime minister by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 12 May 2022.
Elected by the parliament as president on 20 July 2022 and was sworn in on 21 July 2022.
Appointed as prime minister by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on 22 July 2022.
Appointed as prime minister by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on 24 September 2024 following his victory in the 2024 presidential election.
References
External links
Last edited 11 months ago by ClueBot NG
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Head of state and government of Sri Lanka
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