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All 225 seats in the Parliament of Sri Lanka 113 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Sri Lankaportal |
Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka are scheduled for 14 November 2024 to elect 225 members to the new parliament. The 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka was dissolved on 24 September 2024, with nominations being accepted from 4 to 11 October 2024. Following the election, the newly elected parliament is expected to convene on 21 November 2024. [2] [3] [4]
The election was called on 24 September by the newly inaugurated President Anura Kumara Dissanayake as part of his election pledge. Consequently, parliament was dissolved ahead of its scheduled tenure expiration in August 2025. [5]
The Parliament 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. [6] 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.
Every proclamation dissolving parliament must be published in the 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. [7]
On 25 September 2024, the Election Commission released details regarding the number of members to be elected from each electoral district in the upcoming parliamentary election, the number of candidates to be listed on the nomination paper, and the deposit amount required from independent groups. Recognised political parties are exempt from making a deposit. [8] [9]
| Name | Symbol | Claimed ideology(ies) | Leader | Voteshare in 2020 | General seats won in 2020 | Seats before election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLPP | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna ශ්රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ இலங்கை பொதுஜன முன்னணி |  | Sinhalese nationalism Right-wing populism | Mahinda Rajapaksa | 59.09% | 145 / 225 | 106 / 225 | |
| SJB | Samagi Jana Balawegaya සමගි ජනබලවේගය ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சக்தி |  | Big tent | Sajith Premadasa | 23.90% | 54 / 225 | 59 / 225 | |
| PA | People's Alliance පොදු ජන එක්සත් පෙරමුණ மக்கள் கூட்டணி |  | Big tent | Chandrika Kumaratunga | New | — | ||
| NPP | National People's Power ජාතික ජන බලවේගය தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி |  | Democratic socialism Anti-imperialism | Anura Kumara Dissanayake | 3.84% | 3 / 225 | 3 / 225 | |
| TNA | Tamil National Alliance දෙමළ ජාතික සන්ධානය தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு | — | Tamil nationalism Federalism | TBA | 2.82% | 10 / 225 | 10 / 225 | |
The following nationwide presidential poll was conducted by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), an independent research institution.
| Date | Polling firm | SLPP | SJB | NPP | UNP | ITAK | Others | Lead | Margin of error | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2024 | Institute for Health Policy | 19% | 29% | 28% | 9% | 4% | 11% | 1 | ±1–3% | 1153 |
| July 2024 | Institute for Health Policy | 13% | 34% | 32% | 7% | 5% | 8% | 2 | ±1–3% | 1198 |
| June 2024 | Institute for Health Policy | 16% | 38% | 26% | 7% | 3% | 9% | 12 | ±4–5% | 446 |
| May 2024 | Institute for Health Policy | 13% | 34% | 34% | 6% | 4% | 9% | Tie | ±1–4% | 503 |
| April 2024 | Institute for Health Policy | 12% | 34% | 34% | 5% | 4% | 11% | Tie | ±1–4% | 444 |
| March 2024 | Institute for Health Policy | 8% | 38% | 35% | 5% | 5% | 9% | 3 | ±1–3% | 506 |
| February 2024 | Institute for Health Policy | 9% | 30% | 44% | 4% | 4% | 9% | 14 | ±1–3% | 575 |
| January 2024 | Institute for Health Policy | 8% | 30% | 40% | 6% | 4% | 12% | 10 | ±1.0–3.6% | 506 |
| December 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 10% | 27% | 39% | 6% | 3% | 15% | 12 | ±2.0–3.5% | 522 |
| October 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 5% | 26% | 40% | 11% | 4% | 13% | 14 | ±1–5% | 567 |
| September 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 8% | 22% | 42% | 13% | 6% | 6% | 20 | ±1–3% | 599 |
| August 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 11% | 24% | 30% | 11% | 6% | 17% | 6 | ±1–6% | 556 |
| July 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 9% | 24% | 23% | 8% | 4% | 33% | 1 | ±1–3% | 466 |
| June 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 9% | 23% | 23% | 9% | 5% | 30% | Tie | ±1–3% | 506 |
| May 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 10% | 26% | 23% | 13% | 4% | 23% | 3 | ±1–5% | 630 |
| April 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 6% | 30% | 32% | 9% | 4% | 19% | 2 | ±1–5% | 580 |
| March 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 4% | 30% | 41% | 6% | 4% | 15% | 11 | ±2–5% | 521 |
| February 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 4% | 30% | 43% | 4% | 4% | 15% | 13 | ±2–5% | 421 |
| January 2023 | Institute for Health Policy | 8% | 31% | 32% | 9% | 5% | 15% | 1 | ±2–3% | 724 |
| July 2022 | Institute for Health Policy | 18% | 32% | 42% | – | – | 8% | 10 | – | – |
| 2020 election | N/A | 59.1% [lower-alpha 1] | 23.9% | 3.8% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 8.2% | 35.2 | N/A | N/A |
Sri Lanka is a unitary multi-party semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Sri Lanka is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is a Semi-presidential republic determined by the Sri Lankan Constitution. It administers the island from both its commercial capital of Colombo and the administrative capital of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
The president of Sri Lanka is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union government and the commander-in-chief of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, in addition to their relation with the Prime minister and Government of Sri Lanka, have over time differed with the various constitutional documents since the creation of the office. The president appoints the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka who can command the confidence of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.
The Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the supreme legislative body of Sri Lanka. It alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the island. It is modeled after the British Parliament. The 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka was dissolved on 24 September 2024.
Sri Lanka elects on the national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. Sri Lanka has a multi-party system, with two dominant political parties. All elections are administered by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.
Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena is a Sri Lankan politician who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024. He also held the positions of Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government. Gunawardena has been leader of the left-wing Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) party since 1983, was briefly the de facto leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna from 2022 to 2023, and has taken cabinet positions under several previous governments, including Leader of the House from 2020 until 2022.
Jaffna Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the city of Jaffna in Jaffna District, Northern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Jaffna electoral district was replaced by the Jaffna multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Jaffna continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
Mannar Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Mannar in Mannar District, Northern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Mannar electoral district was replaced by the Vanni multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Mannar continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
Point Pedro Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Point Pedro in Jaffna District, Northern Province. Udupiddy Electoral District was carved out of the western part of the district in March 1960. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Point Pedro electoral district was replaced by the Jaffna multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Point Pedro continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
Vavuniya Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Vavuniya in Vavuniya District, Northern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Vavuniya electoral district was replaced by the Vanni multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Vavuniya continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
Batticaloa Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the city of Batticaloa in Batticaloa District, Eastern Province. The district was a two-member constituency between March 1960 and February 1989. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Batticaloa electoral district was replaced by the Batticaloa multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Batticaloa continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh President of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province of the country and does not belong to the traditional Sri Lankan political elite. He is currently a member of parliament from Polonnaruwa.
Colombo Central electoral district was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the city of Colombo in Colombo District, Western Province. The district was one of three multi-member constituencies, with three members, the others were Balangoda and Kadugannawa. was a three-member constituency. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Colombo Central electoral district was replaced by the Colombo multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Colombo Central continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann. It consists of 160 members, each known as a Teachta Dála. TDs represent 39 constituencies and are directly elected for terms not exceeding five years, on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV). Its powers are similar to those of lower houses under many other bicameral parliamentary systems and it is by far the dominant branch of the Oireachtas. Subject to the limits imposed by the Constitution of Ireland, it has power to pass any law it wishes, and to nominate and remove the Taoiseach. Since 1922, it has met in Leinster House in Dublin.
Matara electoral district was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the city of Matara in Matara District, Southern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Matara electoral district was replaced by the Matara multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the proportional representation system, Matara continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 17 August 2015, ten months ahead of schedule, to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 15th Parliament.
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Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 5 August 2020 to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 16th Parliament. 16,263,885 people were eligible to vote in the election, 31.95% of whom were young voters.
The 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka was the meeting of the Parliament of Sri Lanka with its membership determined by the results of the 2020 parliamentary election held on 5 August 2020. The parliament met for the first time on 20 August 2020 and was dissolved on 24 September 2024.
The 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election was the ninth presidential election in the country’s history and was held on 21 September 2024. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe ran for re-election as an independent candidate, making him the first sitting president to run for re-election since Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2015. Other prominent candidates included Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the NPP, and Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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