Galle Municipal Council

Last updated
Galle Municipal Council
Type
Type
Leadership
Mayor
Priyantha Godagama Sahabandu, (SLPP)
since 23 March 2018
Seats35
Elections
Open list proportional representation
Last election
10 February 2018
Next election
9 March 2023
Website
https://galle.mc.gov.lk/

The Galle Municipal Council is the local council for Galle, the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka, [1] the third level administrative division of the country. The council was established under the Municipalities Ordinance of 1865 as the third municipal council of Sri Lanka. Wijeyananda Dahanayake was the first elected mayor of the city, who was appointed in 1939. He later went on to become the fifth Prime Minister of Ceylon. The current mayor of Galle is Priyantha Godagama Sahabandu.

Contents

Geography

The Galle Four Gravets is 18.7 km2 (7.2 sq mi) in area. The average elevation above sea level is 15 m (49 ft).

Administrative units

Galle Municipal Council is divided into 50 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions), with seven villages.[ specify ]

Population

The current population of Galle Four Gravets area, according to 2011 Census, is 101,159, a decline from the population of 103,246 in 2001.

Ethnicity in Galle (2011)
PopulationPercent
Sinhalese
67.0%
Muslims
32.3%
Tamils
0.8%
Others
0.13%
EthnicityPopulation [2] % Of Total
Sinhalese 67,47067.0
Sri Lankan Moors 32,71132.3
Sri Lankan Tamils 7090.7
Indian Tamils 1290.8
Other (including Burgher, Malay)1400.13
Total101,159100

Mayor

The Mayor of Galle is the head of Galle Municipal Council and his office is located at the Galle Town Hall. The current mayor is Priyantha Godagama Sahabandu , who was elected into office, subsequent to the 2018 Sri Lankan local elections, in a secret ballot held on 23 March 2018. Sahabandu was elected to the position of mayor obtaining 20 votes to 11 over his rival candidate, Jilith Nishantha of the UNP. [3]

Representation

The Galle Municipal Council is divided into 15 wards and is represented by 35 councillors, elected using an open list proportional representation system. [4]

2018 local government election

Results of the local government election held on 8 February 2018: [5]

Alliances and partiesVotes%Seats
  United National Party 22,27040.17%14
  Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna 20,09636.25%13
  United People's Freedom Alliance (NC, ACMC, SLFP et al.)5,5329.98%3
  Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna 5,1779.34%3
United National Freedom Front1,2652.28%1
Independent 2 8961.62%1
Independent 1 2060.37%0
Valid Votes55,442100.00%35
Rejected Votes1,026
Total Polled56,468
Registered Electors71,858
Turnout78.58%

2011 local government election

Results of the local government election held on 8 October 2011: [6] [7]

Alliances and partiesVotes%Seats
  United People's Freedom Alliance (NC, ACMC, SLFP et al.)23,53955.39%11
  United National Party 16,13737.97%7
  Sri Lanka Muslim Congress 1,0852.55%1
  Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna 1641.44%0
Independent 3 870.20%0
Janasetha Peramuna170.04%0
Independent 4 100.02%0
United Lanka Great Council (Eksath Lanka Maha Sabha)90.02%0
Independent 6 90.02%0
Independent 2 80.02%0
Independent 1 60.01%0
Ruhuna People's Party (Ruhunu Janatha Party)40.01%0
Independent 5 30.01%0
Valid Votes42,494100.00%19
Rejected Votes1,179
Total Polled43,673
Registered Electors64,720
Turnout67.48%

The Galle Municipal Council has five standing committees each headed by committee chairman. The standing committees are Finance and Tender, Works and Solid Waste, Health and Sanitisation, Electricity and Water, and Environment.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colombo</span> Executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka

Colombo is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, the Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the Municipality. It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka, and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is itself within the urban/suburban area of Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life, colonial buildings and monuments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colombo Municipal Council</span> The local council for Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Colombo Municipal Council is the municipal governing body of Colombo, the largest city and financial centre in Sri Lanka. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of Colombo, and elected 119 municipal councilors. The council was formed in 1865, it first met in 1866 and derives most of its powers from Municipal Council Ordinance No. 29 of 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negombo</span> City in Western Province, Sri Lanka

Negombo is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in the Western Province, 38 km (24 mi) from Colombo via the Colombo–Katunayake Expressway and the nearest major city from the Bandaranaike International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louth County Council</span> Local authority of County Louth, Ireland

Louth County Council is the local authority of County Louth, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 29 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach (chairperson). The current Cathaoirleach is Kevin Callan. The county administration is headed by a chief executive, Joan Martin. Under a provision of the Local Government Act the elected members must vote confidence in a new chief executive and also have the power to remove one from office.

There are 24 Municipal councils in Sri Lanka, which are the legislative bodies that preside over the largest cities and first tier municipalities in the country. Introduced in 1987 through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, municipal councils became a devolved subject under the Provincial Councils in the Local Government system of Sri Lanka. Until 2017 municipal councils collectively governed 2,765,533 people within a 698 square kilometer area. There were 445 Councillors in total, ranging from 53 to 9 per council.

The Mayor of Colombo is the elected head of the Colombo Municipal Council. The post was created in 1866 when the Colombo Municipal Council was established by the Legislative Council of Ceylon. The mayor is assisted by the deputy mayor and a Municipal Commissioner. Since 1944 all but two of the mayors that have served have been from the United National Party (UNP), with one being a UNP-backed independent.

Local elections were held in Sri Lanka on 17 March 2011, 23 July 2011 and 8 October 2011 to elect 4,327 members for 322 of the 335 local authorities in the country. 13.7 million Sri Lankans were eligible to vote in the election. Elections to two other local authorities in Mullaitivu District are due but have been repeatedly postponed due to alleged delays in resettling internally displaced persons. Elections to the remaining 11 local authorities are not due as they had their last election in 2008 or 2009.

Local government is the third and lowest level of government in Sri Lanka – after the central government and provincial councils. The local government bodies are collectively known as local authorities. They are responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaffna Municipal Council</span>

Jaffna Municipal Council is the local authority for the city of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. JMC is responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. Established in January 1949 as a successor to Jaffna Urban Council, it currently has 45 members elected using the mixed electoral system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batticaloa Municipal Council</span>

Batticaloa Municipal Council (BMC) is the local authority for the city of Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka. BMC is responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. It has 19 members elected using the open list proportional representation system. The territory of BMC is commensurate with that of Manmunai North Divisional Secretariat.

There are 41 Urban councils in Sri Lanka, which are the legislative bodies that preside over the second tier municipalities in the country. Introduced in 1987 through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, Urban councils became a devolved subject under the Provincial Councils in the Local Government system of Sri Lanka. The Urban councils collectively govern approximately 1,388,000 people. There are 417 Councillors in total, ranging from 22 to 7 per council.

Don Mathew Rajapaksa was a Ceylonese politician and a member of State Council of Ceylon (1937–1945).

Ambalangoda Urban Council (AUC) is the local authority for the town of Ambalangoda in the Galle District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. The AUC is responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. It has 12 councillors elected using an open list proportional representation system.

Hikkaduwa Urban Council (HUC) is the local authority for the town of Hikkaduwa in the Galle District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. The HUC is responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. It has 11 councillors elected using an open list proportional representation system.

The Matara Municipal Council is the local council for Matara, the second largest city in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, the third level administrative division of the country. The council was established under the Municipalities Ordinance of 1865 as the 13th municipal council of Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Municipal Council</span>

The Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Municipal Council is the local council for Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the administrative capital city of Sri Lanka. The council was first formed as Kotte Urban Development Council which was established in the 1930s and the council became Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Municipal Council in 1997, Chandra Silva was elected as the first mayor.

Local elections were held in Sri Lanka on 10 February 2018. 15.7 million Sri Lankans were eligible to elect 8,327 members to 340 local authorities. It was the largest election in Sri Lankan history. This was also the first election under the mixed electoral system where 60% of members were elected using first-past-the-post voting and the remaining 40% through closed list proportional representation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council</span> Local authority in Sri Lanka

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council (DMMC) is the local authority for the city of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia in Sri Lanka. The Council is responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. It has 48 members elected under the mixed electoral system where 60% of members will be elected using first-past-the-post voting and the remaining 40% through closed list proportional representation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaduwela Municipal Council</span>

The Kaduwela Municipal Council is the local council for Kaduwela, in Colombo District, Sri Lanka.It wields first place in terms of size, with an area of 87.71 square kilometres including the reservoirs, water courses and bodies. It is 13.4% of the area of Colombo District. By the end of the year 2016, the total population of the area was reported as 260,341.

References

  1. "Galle City Profile" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  2. "Population by Ethnicity according to D.S. Division and Sector: Galle District (Provisional)". Census of Population Housing 2011. Department of Census and Statistics. 2011. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  3. "SLPP's Priyantha Godage elected Galle Mayor". Daily Mirror. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  4. "Compilation of Local Authority - Municipal Councils". Ministry of Local Governments and Provincial Councils. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  5. "Local Authorities Election Results - 2018 - Galle Municipal Council". Adadarena. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  6. "Local Authorities Election - 08.10.2011 Galle Municipal Council". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014.
  7. "2011 Local Government Elections - Galle Municipal Council". Sri Lanka Elections. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.