Voter demands

Post-elections there has been a flurry of analysis on vote patterns and what it could mean for Sri Lanka’s democracy. One interesting point that emerged from the election was that some 700,000 votes were rejected, which is more than the total number of votes cast for the United National Party (UNP) and the National People’s Party (NPP) put together. Does this indicate voter apathy? 

The final election result released by the Election Commission (EC) showed that 744,373 or 4.58% of the 75.89% of the total votes polled were rejected. This is in comparison to the 135,452, or 0.85%, of votes rejected at the Presidential Election. 

This may indicate while there was a unified sentiment at the Presidential Election, the parliamentary version encouraged people to have more diverse views. The turnout at Wednesday’s election was close to 76%, far better than the 71% initially announced by the EC last Wednesday, but below the 78% recorded at the 2015 Parliamentary Election.

Undoubtedly the split of the UNP also contributed to this with much of the traditional vote base gravitating towards the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) rather than its offshoot the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). 

But the high number of spoilt votes could also indicate that there is a significant number of people, at least about a million, who feel that the candidates did not adequately reflect their priorities or they did not have faith in them. This divergence should garner the attention of all political parties as political disillusionment, if allowed to grow, can have serious consequences. 

Perhaps the best example of this is the UNP, which is facing a fresh crisis as the battle heats up to see who will succeed long-term leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Wickremesinghe, who has held the post for an unprecedented 26 years, is often cited as the main reason for the monumental loss suffered by the party last Wednesday. 

There is no doubt that the party has to send a different representative to Parliament and serious efforts are needed to change the fortunes of the party. It is no secret that voters have long been disillusioned by Wickremesinghe but repeated attempts by the party rank and file to unseat him failed. 

Finally, it was the public who decided enough was enough. Not only did Wickremesinghe lose his seat after 40 odd years, all other key members of the UNP were also unceremoniously kicked out of Parliament. 

Overall 81 members of the former Parliament, including 66 members that were elected in 2015 and 15 others from the National List, were sent home. It is clear that the people felt a wave of new faces was needed and while some questionable selections were still made it sends a message of “work or go home” to politicians. 

Even though two-thirds of the new Parliament will be made up from one party, all members have to be aware that they are under constant watch by a public that is in a less accommodative mood than before. Politicians will be judged and usually that judgment will be harsh. 

Therefore the Government’s decision to opt for a Cabinet with 28 members is a sound one but the much larger set of 40 State Ministers will have to prove their worth. A smaller Cabinet will be of little use unless line ministries actually function as they should and authority is delegated accordingly. The Rajapaksas were earlier criticised for cornering too much power but the latest result shows that the public appear less concerned about this issue than before. But the public can prove fickle.