Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

UPFA wins
(Daily mirror Monday October 12,2009)

As expected by many political analysts, the UPFA once again scored a resounding victory at Saturday’s Southern Provincial Council elections securing 38 of the 55 seats with 804,071 votes or 67.88 per cent of the votes polled. The main opposition UNP secured 14 seats with 297,180 votes while the JVP was placed a poor third with just three seats and 72,379 votes.

The UPFA rank and file which expected the party to poll an overall 80 per cent of the votes while they expected more than 90 per cent of the votes in Hambantota -- where President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ancestral home is situated -- were surprised and shocked to realize that in the three districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota, the UPFA had only managed to obtain less than 68 per cent of the votes. 

For the UPFA it was 68.34 per cent in Galle ; 67.97 per cent in Matara and 66.95 per cent in Hambantota which was way down in the ruling party’s scale of expectations.

The results at the SPC elections is in sharp contrast to the steady rise in the UPFA’s popularity at the recently held provincial polls that began with the elections to the Eastern PC after the province was liberated from the LTTE.

At these elections the UPFA enjoyed an ever increasing voter support by winning the East with 52.21 per cent; Sabaragamuwa with 55.34 per cent

North- Central Province with 56.37 per cent; Central Province with 59.53 per cent; Western Province with 64.73 per cent; the Wayamba with 69.43 per cent and finally the Uva Province with 72.39 per cent.

The main opposition UNP lost five of the 19 seats it had in the previous SPC administration while the UPFA had increased its number of seats from 36 to 38 and received 242,427 votes more than the 561,644 votes in 2004.

It is noteworthy to mention that the UPFA had secured 36 seats at the 2004 PC polls with the support of the JVP while the only solace for the UNP is that the party had increased its vote bank in the South by 5,137 votes from the 291,943 it polled in 2004.

Meanwhile the UPFA recorded massive victories in all 21 electorates in Galle , Matara and Hambantota Districts.

The UNP and the JVP focused their election campaign on the escalating cost of living, high prices of essential commodities, the violation of human rights, the suppression of the media, waste and corruption and on the use and abuse of state resources by the UPFA for electioneering.

The opposition political parties called on the Southern voters to form an administration that would thwart government attempts to create a monarchy in while the UPFA continued to focus on the recent war victories against the LTTE and the development drive launched in many parts of the country.

The UPFA election campaign headed by President Rajapaksa expected an overwhelming victory with more than 80 per cent of the votes to continue the country’s rebuilding, reconstruction and resettlement process.

A total of 1,091 candidates from 18 political parties and 13 independent groups contested for 55 slots (including two bonus seats) for Saturday’s elections.