The National People’s Power (NPP) says they will not join hands with opposition parties “rejected by the public” to form administrations in LG bodies it has won but has failed to secure an outright majority.

However, the NPP would consider joining forces with candidates who were elected to the councils contesting independently, said Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvyn Silva, at a media briefing in Colombo today (May 07).

Silva said that only the party that has the largest number of members at a local authority has the power and the moral right to form its administration. 

“After the election, if small parties who contested separately try to combine their results and claim a majority, we believe that is neither realistic nor fair… Adding together the percentages won by each opposition party does not mean it is the people’s mandate. The people’s mandate is reflected in the number of votes given to a single party,” he stated.

The National People’s Power (NPP) has emerged as the dominant force at the 2025 Local Government (LG) polls, securing over 3,900 seats and majorities in more than 150 local bodies.

However, when compared to the General Election and Presidential Election last year, the NPP had suffered some setbacks while regional political parties in North and East had made a strong comeback.

The NPP also failed to win control of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), despite winning the highest vote share (36.92%) and securing 48 of 117 seats.

The Court of Appeal issued an order dismissing without examination the writ petition that had been filed requesting a directive to disqualify Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala from holding a parliamentary seat and to nullify his position as a Member of Parliament.

This order was delivered by the bench comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mohammed Laffar Thahir, and Justice Sarath Dissanayake.

This petition was filed by Renuka Perera, the Administrative Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). 

The respondents named in the petition were Minister Ananda Wijepala, the Secretary General of Parliament, and the Attorney General.

The petition stated that Ananda Wijepala was appointed as the Minister of Public Security by the President on November 18. 

It also cited a report published in the Sunday Times on December 10, which claimed that Wijepala had been appointed as the Chief of Staff to the President.

The petitioner argued that, under Article 91 of the Constitution, individuals holding positions in the public service are disqualified from being elected to or sitting in Parliament. 

He further contended that the position of Chief of Staff to the President constitutes a public service role, and therefore, Ananda Wijepala was not eligible to hold a parliamentary seat under such circumstances.

(News1st)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by News1st has not been edited by SLM staff)

Former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, who was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) today (May 07), has been remanded until May 20 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. 

The arrest stems from allegations that, during his tenure as Minister of Media, Health, and Environment, Rambukwella appointed friends, relatives, and political allies to positions within his personal staff. 

These individuals were allegedly paid salaries and allowances from ministry funds without performing any official duties, resulting in a financial loss to the state amounting to Rs. 8,005,814.

It is further alleged that these funds were used to pay salaries to political supporters and staff at party offices, constituting an unlawful and improper use of public money.

In an official statement, the CIABOC confirmed that Rambukwella was arrested in connection with 03 separate corruption charges.