Marxist-Leaning Party Wins Two-Thirds Majority in Sri Lanka’s Parliament

Sri Lanka’s Marxist-leaning National People’s Power Party (NPP) has won big in the parliamentary election, securing a two-thirds majority under leader President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The Elections Commission reported that the NPP won a landslide 159 of 225 seats.

These results follow Dissanayake’s presidential victory on Sept. 21. In Sri Lanka, parliamentary elections take place at local level only once a leader has been chosen.

Dissanayake’s earlier victory represented the first win outside of Sri Lanka’s traditional parties since its independence from British rule in 1948. This victory offers the 55-year-old a rare opportunity to fulfill campaign promises, including drafting a new constitution, without relying on coalition support.

“We have very well understood the weight of this victory,” said top NPP official Tilvin Silva.

“The people have placed immense trust on us and we must keep that trust.”

Dissanayake’s Gains In Tamil Strongholds

Of the 225 seats in parliament, 196 were directly up for grabs under Sri Lanka’s electoral system. The rest were nominated in each district among the parties based on proportional representation.

Voter turnout was about 65 per cent, the lowest in over a decade. In the presidential election, the turnout averaged 80 percent.

In a surprising development, the NPP won in Jaffna, the heartland of the ethnic Tamil minority, which has traditionally been a stronghold of Tamil parties.

Ethnic Tamils have long been wary of majority Sinhalese leadership due to decades of marginalization, including a 26-year civil war that ended in 2009.

“The Tamil parties were divided and contested separately, and as a result, the Tamil people’s representation is scattered,” said Veeragathy Thanabalasingham, a Colombo-based political analyst.

Sri Lanka’s Road to Economic Collapse

Growing frustration with the political establishment over the nation’s economic collapse allowed Dissanayake to secure 5.7 million votes.

He began his political career as a student activist, gaining recognition for his leadership in leftist movements. In 2019, he founded the NPP as a Marxist alternative to traditional party politics.

Much of the electorate were swayed with the administration’s promises to address systemic inequalities, boost social welfare, and invest in infrastructure.

However, winning only 42.31 percent of the popular vote raised questions about his party’s broader appeal in the press. This week’s results could serve to soothe those concerns.

Sri Lanka is in economic disarray following a bankruptcy declaration in 2022.

This came as a result of defaulting on ballooning external debt worth over $50 billion, preventing the country from accessing global financial markets due to a reputation of diminished creditworthiness.

Along with this, sweeping tax cuts, introduced by the government in 2019, reduced revenue significantly ahead of the global pandemic.

IMF Bailout and Debt Restructuring

While the NPP’s victory secures a clear path to reform, the challenges ahead are sizable and could take years to heal from.

Sri Lanka is in the midst of a bailout program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Debt restructuring with international creditors is nearly complete, and Dissanayake has expressed willingness to adhere to the terms of the IMF agreement signed by his predecessor, despite earlier criticisms.

Jeewantha Balasuriya, a businessman from Gampaha, voiced optimism about the new government’s ability to push forwards.

“People have given them a strong mandate. I am hopeful that the NPP will use this mandate to uplift the country from the present pathetic situation,” he said.

This article includes reporting from the Associated Press