News

Govt. approval rating drops to 10%

Published

3 years ago

2023/02/22

Public approval rating for the Ranil Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government has sunk to 10 percent, says a recent poll.

According to a survey by Verite Research, a Colombo-based think tank, the government continues to have a poor, merely 10%, approval rating among the public, as shown by the results of a recent poll on the ‘Mood of the Nation’.

Verité Research has said in a media statement, titled, “Mood of the Nation” poll, for February 2023: “Another round of the Gallup Style “Mood of the Nation” poll was conducted in early February 2023 by Verité Research. It assessed the approval, satisfaction, and confidence of the nation, in relation to the government, the country, and the economy.

“The poll was conducted as a part of the syndicated survey instrument by Verité Research. This instrument also provides other organisations the opportunity to survey the sentiments of Sri Lanka.

1. Government approval rating | 10% | To the question, “Do you approve or disapprove of the way the current government is working?” only 10% said they approve (with an error margin of ± 2.04%). This is the same extreme low level as it was in October 2022. In June 2022 the approval ratings was at an all-time low of 3%.

2. Sri Lanka satisfaction | 4% | To the question, “In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in Sri Lanka?” only 4% said they were satisfied (with an error margin of ± 1.50%). This rating was at 7% in October 2022 and 2% in June 2022.

3. Economic confidence | negative (-) 78.4 | Multiple choice questions on the condition and trajectory of the economy are used to generate an economic confidence score. The score can range from negative (-) 100 to positive (+) 100. A score above zero means more people see the economic conditions positively rather than negatively. If everyone thinks that the economy is in a poor condition (instead of good or excellent), and everyone also thinks it is getting worse (rather than better), then the score will be a (-) 100. In February 2023 0.3% rated the economic conditions as excellent, 6.0% rate it as good; and 6.3% rate it as getting better. The resulting score was a (-) 78.4 (rounded off as negative 78). This rating was (-) 78 in October, and (-) 96 in June.

The present poll was conducted in early February 2023 and is based on an island-wide nationally representative sample of responses from over one thousand Sri Lankan adults. The sample and methodology were designed to limit the maximum error margin to under 3% at a 95% confidence interval. The specific error margins are reported with the results. The polling partner was Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd.

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INS NIREEKSHAK makes port call in Colombo

Published

3 hours ago

2026/04/21

Priyan

The Indian Navy Ship (INS) NIREEKSHAK arrived in Sri Lanka for Operational Turnaround (OTR) and a training visit on 21 Apr 26.

The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship at the port of Colombo in accordance with time-honoured naval traditions.

Commanded by, Commander Sailesh Kumar Tyagi, this Diving Support Vessel is set to conduct a training programme with the diving professionals of the Sri Lanka Navy.

The crew is also scheduled to participate in several activities organized by the Sri Lanka Navy and visit some tourist attractions within the country.

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Advisory for Severe Lightning issued to the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western, North-central, Southern, Uva provinces, and Mannar, Vavuniya, Ampara, Batticaloa districts

Published

6 hours ago

2026/04/21

Priyan

Advisory for Severe Lightning
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 12.00 noon 21 April 2026 valid for the period until 11.30 p.m. 21 April 2026

Thundershowers accompanied with severe lightning are likely to occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western, Northcentral, Southern, Uva provinces, and in Mannar, Vavuniya, Ampara, Batticaloa districts after 1.00 p.m.

There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:

The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
 Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
 Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
 Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
 Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
 Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
 For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities

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Six Foreign Envoys Present Credentials to President Dissanayake

Published

8 hours ago

2026/04/21

Priyan

Two High Commissioners, three Ambassadors and an Apostolic Nuncio-designate of the Holy See presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (20).

The ceremony, held at 10.00 a.m., followed the formal order of precedence, with the envoys representing Papua New Guinea, Somalia, Luxembourg, the Holy See, Pakistan and Kuwait.

Accordingly, diplomats who presented their credentials were:

01. Vincent Sumale, High Commissioner-designate of Papua New Guinea (Based in New Delhi)

02. Abdullahi Mohammed Odowa, Ambassador-designate of Somalia (Based in New Delhi)

03. Christian Biever, Ambassador-designate of Luxembourg (Based in New Delhi)

04. Monsignor Andrzej Józwowicz, Apostolic Nuncio-designate of the Holy See

05. Major General (Retd) Nayyar Naseer, High Commissioner-designate of Pakistan

06. Saleh Mubarak Al-Sarawi, Ambassador-designate of Kuwait

Following the presentation of credentials, the President engaged in a cordial discussion with them. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, and the Secretary to the President, Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, were also in attendance.