Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila expressed confidence that if the current NPP government avoids significant errors, there is a strong possibility of winning around 120 seats in the upcoming Parliamentary Elections.
He noted that even if the votes received in the Presidential Elections are mirrored in the Parliamentary Elections, the NPP is likely to secure around 105 seats.
Gammanpila made these comments during a media briefing held at the party headquarters yesterday (3). He further emphasized that some opposition parties have already named their prime ministerial candidates
for the Parliamentary Elections, indicating a lack of understanding regarding the political landscape in Sri Lanka, particularly concerning elections. He argued that it is unsuitable to appoint parties with such a lack of clarity to govern.
Reflecting on past elections, he pointed out that there have been four instances where Presidential Elections were held followed by Parliamentary Elections within nine months- specifically in 1989, 2010, 2015, and 2020. In each case, the party that won the Presidential Election subsequently achieved a significant victory in the Parliamentary Elections. The 1989 and 2010 Parliamentary Elections occurred just three months after Presidential Elections, resulting in heightened influence.
Typically, during Parliamentary Elections, the party that wins the presidency tends to secure votes in a similar proportion, or with a slight reduction of about 5%. However, he noted that the main opposition party has shown a lack of interest in the Parliamentary Elections following their defeat. As a result, the vote share of the defeated party has decreased from 22% in 1989 to 33% in 2010, 18% in 2015, and 42% in 2020.
He emphasised the need to highlight that the parties which competed separately in the Parliamentary Elections received votes that were influenced by the Presidential election results. Consequently, it can be anticipated that the vote share of both major defeated parties will decrease by around 25%.
(Daily News)
(This story, originally published by Daily News has not been edited by SLM staff)
