2020 General Election – SLPP confident of securing majority

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The SLPP was preparing to form the next government, party sources said, adding that a two-thirds majority was difficult to achieve. The SLPP sought a two-thirds majority to amend or do away with the 19th Amendment to the Constitution enacted in 2015.

 Political parties had secured working majorities in Parliament only twice since the introduction of the Proportional Representation (PR) system in 1989, sources said.

 President Ranasinghe Premadasa secured a simple majority at the 1989 poll and the UPFA led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa obtained 144 seats at the 2010 general election.

 SLPP strategist Basil Rajapaksa has said in a newspaper interview that if his party couldn’t obtain a two-thirds majority, talks will be held with other parties.

Countrywide counting of ballot papers is scheduled to commence at 7 am today (6).

 Of the 225 parliament members, 29 are appointed through the National List.

 Political sources were of the opinion that the SJB would emerge as the main Opposition at the expense of the UNP. The last parliament was represented by 106 UNP lawmakers.

Two of the SLPP constituents, the National Freedom Front (NFF) and the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) in the run-up to August 5 poll declared that they wouldn’t be part of the government in case an agreement was sought with extremist elements to secure a two-thirds majority.

A civil society grouping that campaigned against the SLPP effort to do away with the 19th Amendment yesterday told The Island that the new government’s conduct would largely depend on the margin of victory at the August 5 poll. Spokesperson Gamini Viyangoda said that in case the SLPP managed to secure as many as 130 seats, it would aggressively push for crossovers. However, the situation would be different if it obtained 30 seats short of a two-thirds majority, Viyangoda said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in terms of the powers vested in him by the Constitution and the Parliamentary Election Act, has summoned the new parliament on August 20.

In terms of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, President Rajapaksa has to restrict the number of Cabinet ministers to 30 unless a consensus could be reached with political party/parties on the formation of a National Government.

The 19th Amendment also deprives the President of an opportunity to hold any ministerial portfolio. President Rajapaksa refrained from appointing defence minister in the interim government following the last presidential poll.