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The ruling UPFA (United People's Freedom Alliance), led by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, has scored a decisive victory, securing 117 out of 180; results of 16 seats from the Kandy and Trincomalee districts are awaited due to repolling. Twenty nine seats will be given based on a National List on the basis of seats that the parties already have in the 225-seat House in the 14th parliament.
The UPFA polled 4,797,272 votes gaining 60% of the votes; while its major opponent, the UNP (United National Party), headed by Ranil Wickramasingha, was able to win only 46 seats, securing 2,336,691 votes gaining around 30% votes.
The TNA (Tamil National Alliance), which as its name connotes, represents the minority Tamil community, won 12 seats, almost all in the North (Jaffna area); it polled 212,590 votes which is 2.68% of the total votes.
The DNA (Democratic National Alliance) of detained former Army Chief, General Sarath Fonseka, facing a court martial, polled 439,601 votes, winning 5 seats with a percentage of 5.54%. The left oriented JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or the People's Liberation Front) is part of this Alliance. The JVP was literally routed in this Election as it had secured 39 slots in the previous parliament contesting under the UPFA which is now in power but suffered this humiliating defeat at the hands of its former ally.
The majority of the UPFA over the main opposition UNP was 2,460,581 votes- more than the total votes polled by the UNP. This is a major setback for the UNP as it had secured 82 seats in the 2004 Elections. Its leader, Ranil acknowledged his Party's defeat but refused to step down, attributing it to lack of people's faith in the electoral system as the elections experienced an unprecedented low voter turn out.
No other party or an independent group was successful in returning a single member to the new parliament.
The UNP that secured 82 seats at the 2004 election was nowhere near that mark this time but in stark contrast, the UPFA that won the 2004 general election with 105 seats in an alliance with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) won many more seats at this election without the support of the JVP.
The UNFA has improved its seat tally from 105 to the present number; and the well-wishers of Sri Lanka can hope that this massive mandate will make the UPFA leader and the current President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, a large hearted person and he would try to carry the opposition with him. This election has succeeded the January 26 Presidential elections where Mahinda defeated the deposed Army Chief Fonseka; unfortunately, within a fortnight, the latter was detained and charged with attempts to topple the civilian government, and with illegal arms and foreign exchange transactions. This is not good for the country's polity, and would continue to haunt the government.
Mahinda called the elections a year in advance, obviously expecting to cash the public support following the final defeat of LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) last year. His campaign focused on the recent war victories against the LTTE and the development drive based on rebuilding, reconstruction and resettlement process in the country. The opposition raised the issue of cost of living, the suppression of human rights, lack of media freedom, waste and corruption and the use and abuse of state resources. Apparently, the opposition strategy failed miserably to rally the masses to its point of view.
Some point to parallels with the history of neighboring India, where Indira Gandhi, after the military victory over Pakistan in 1971, led her Congress Party to a huge victory in the general election. But her populist policies failed to deliver; as inflation rose, political and social unrest spread; and by the summer of 1975, she had to declare emergency rule, suspend civil liberties, jail political opponents, and coerce most of the media into submission.
One hopes that history will not be repeated in Sri Lanka. In order to avoid this repetition, Mahinda must turn his attention to the urgent task of reconciliation with Sri Lanka's Tamil minority and the development of the North and East. The government must initiate comprehensive political reforms, devolving power to the Tamils in a genuine way.
Mahinda must keep in mind that the April 8 General elections saw one of the lowest turn-outs in the country's history, despite there being peace in the country with the end of the war. Generally, the voter turn-out has ranged in the seventies but this time it was only 56%.
Low turn-out in an election is never a good omen for democracy, and is attributable to a number of factors in any country, including voters' apathy, lack of faith in the electoral or political or electoral system, or a lack-luster campaign. Whatever the reason in the case of Sri Lanka, it is now the responsibility of the ruling UPFA to carry the whole country with it, especially the minority community. A beginning in this respect can be made by unconditionally releasing the opposition DNA leader, General Fonseka. <-->
Anees Jillani is an advocate of the Supreme Court and a member of the Washington, DC Bar. He has been writing for various publications for more than 20 years and has authored several books.
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