First-of-its-kind local council election

Yesterday, the islanders exercised their franchise at a nationwide local council election after seven years. The poll carried a lot of political significance as it was the first local council election since the non-conventional political alliance the National People’s Power (NPP) came into power last year. 

The ruling political establishment had the upper hand in the contest, as the voters were unlikely to turn against an administration which has completed just five months since the Parliamentary Election last November. The Government was further aided by the lack of unity among its political opponents as well as their extremely poor political acumen. In Sri Lanka, throughout history, elections for provincial councils and local authorities have been won by the political forces associated with the prevalent Government of the time. 

Nevertheless, the previous local council election was an exception, as the SLPP – which was led by the Rajapaksa family – recorded a resounding victory to the surprise of many. Ironically, at this particular election, the SLPP’s prospects of gaining a meaningful representation among political authorities that are connected with the grassroots of the society appeared to be quite weak, with Rajapaksas having gone into political oblivion subsequent to the devastating economic crisis the country witnessed three years ago.

President Anura Kumara Disanayake took an active interest in the poll and addressed a number of political meetings across the country. It is widely believed that special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic for the general public during last month was held to achieve political gains with the election in mind. Nevertheless, the perceived poor organisation of the event caused an embarrassment to the Government and it attracted a lot of negative publicity from various media institutions that are unfriendly towards the Government. The President’s controversial remark that he would cut off funding to local government bodies that would not be controlled by the ruling party NPP created a huge uproar, with election observation organisations accusing the Head of State of violating the provisions of the Local Government Elections Act.

From the previous local council election onwards, representatives to local government authorities are elected by a mixed electoral system by which 60% of the members are elected using the first-past-the-post method, while the remaining 40% are chosen through a list based on proportional representation. The revised system enables constituents in localities to select a representative for each ward. It has also enhanced representation of women among the lowest layers of political power in the republic.

Compared to the national-level elections, the voter turnout is generally low for polls held to elect representatives for local councils and provincial councils. There is a tendency among independent-minded, moderate voters to ignore non-national polls. The enthusiasm of the social media-focused youth towards minor polls too is pretty low, which results in a lower voter turnout. However, in an environment where there is considerable interest towards good governance and accountability, a greater participation of apolitical and professional-minded voters at minor polls would contribute towards progressive-minded politicians getting elected to regional layers of political power in the country. 

Ideally, the task of voters at local council elections is to elect a capable group of people, who can govern the respective municipal and urban councils competently to deliver essential public needs in the areas of infrastructure, sanitation, public recreation, and primary healthcare. But it is clear that citizens lack awareness of what their primary responsibility is in regional-level elections and hence, they make their choices depending on the prevailing national political climate and overarching political slogans. Such an approach prevents voters from selecting the candidate who is best equipped to satisfy their local-level interests.