1999 Sri Lankan presidential election

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1999 Sri Lankan presidential election
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg
  1994 21 December 1999 2005  
Turnout73.31% (Increase2.svg 2.84pp)
  Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga As The President of Sri Lanka.jpg Defense.gov News Photo 031103-D-2987S-069 (cropped).jpg
Nominee Chandrika Kumaratunga Ranil Wickremesinghe
Party SLFP UNP
Alliance People's Alliance
Popular vote4,312,1573,602,748
Percentage51.12%42.71%

Sri Lankan Presidential Election 1999.png
Results by polling division

President before election

Chandrika Kumaratunga
SLFP

Elected President

Chandrika Kumaratunga
SLFP

Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 21 December 1999. Nominations were accepted on 16 November 1999 and voter turnout was 73%. Incumbent President Chandrika Kumaratunga of the governing People's Alliance was re-elected for a second term, receiving 51% of the vote.

Contents

Background

Sri Lankan presidents were elected for six-year terms; with the previous election having taken place in 1994, an election normally would not have been held until 2000. Kumaratunga called the election early.

Kumaratunga campaigned to continue her actions against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, while her main opponent Ranil Wickremasinghe called for the commencement of direct negotiations with the Tigers.

Three days before the election, Kumaratunga was nearly killed by an LTTE assassination attempt at her final rally. She lost her right eye, and appeared heavily bandaged on television before the election.

Results

CandidatePartyVotes%
Chandrika Kumaratunga People's Alliance 4,312,15751.12
Ranil Wickremasinghe United National Party 3,602,74842.71
Nandana Gunathilake Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna 344,1734.08
Harischandra Wijayatunga Sinhalaye Mahasammatha Bhoomiputra Pakshaya 35,8540.43
W. V. M. RanjithIndependent27,0520.32
Rajiva Wijesinha Liberal Party 25,0850.30
Vasudeva Nanayakkara Left & Democratic Alliance 23,6680.28
Tennyson EdirisuriyaIndependent21,1190.25
Abdul RasoolSri Lanka Muslim Party17,3590.21
Kamal KarunadasaPeople's Liberation Solidarity Front11,3330.13
Hudson SamarasingheIndependent7,1840.09
Ariyawansa Dissanayaka Democratic United National Front 4,0390.05
A. W. Premawardhana Bahujana Nidahas Peramuna 3,9830.05
Total8,435,754100.00
Valid votes8,435,75497.69
Invalid/blank votes199,5362.31
Total votes8,635,290100.00
Registered voters/turnout11,779,20073.31
Source: Election Commission

References