The United People’s Freedom Alliance, led by President Mahinda Rajapakse, won a landslide victory in local government polls, while violence continued for a second day, after 4 people were killed in a shootout on Saturday.
The party won 21 of the 23 local councils up for grabs, but could not show their strength in the capital Colombo, where the United National Party, headed by Ranil Wikremesinghe, held on to its seat.
The UNP won 43% of the vote in Colombo, giving them a total of 24 seats. The UPFA won 16 seats and Mano Ganesan’s Democratic People’s Front came third with 6 seats.
In the only election in the North-East, the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress won the seat in Kalmunai, with the TNA coming second.