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Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna

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Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna
ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ
இலங்கை பொதுஜன முன்னணி
AbbreviationSLPP
LeaderMahinda Rajapaksa[a]
ChairpersonG. L. Peiris
General SecretarySagara Kariyawasam
Headquarters1316 Nelum Mawatha, Jayanthipura, Battaramulla[3][4]
Youth wingSri Lanka People's Youth Front
IdeologyConservatism[5]
Right-wing populism[6][7]
Sinhalese nationalism[8]
Political positionRight-wing[5][6][7]
National affiliationSri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance
Colours  Maroon
Sloganඅපි අපේ රට හදමු!
"Let's build our country!"
Parliament of Sri Lanka
100 / 225
Local Government Bodies[9]
239 / 340
Election symbol
Flower bud
Party flag
Website
slpp.org

The Sri Lanka People's Front (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ, romanized: Śrī Laṃkā Podujana Peramuna; Tamil: இலங்கை பொதுஜன முன்னணி, romanized: Ilaṅkai Potujaṉa Muṉṉaṇi), commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), is a political party in Sri Lanka. Previously a minor political party known as the Sri Lanka National Front (SLNF) and Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front (OSLFF), it was relaunched in 2016 as the SLPP and became the home for members of the United People's Freedom Alliance loyal to its former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.[8]

The front's leader is Mahinda Rajapaksa.[10] The front's chairman is G. L. Peiris and its secretary is Sagara Kariyawasam.[11]

History

Sri Lanka National Front

The Sri Lanka National Front (Sri Lanka Jathika Peramuna) contested the 2001 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 15 of the 22 electoral districts but failed to win any seats in Parliament after securing only 719 votes (0.01%) across the country.[12] The SLNF contested the 2004 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 17 of the 22 electoral districts but failed to win any seats in Parliament after securing only 493 votes (0.01%) across the country.[13] SLNF leader Wimal Geeganage contested the 2005 Sri Lankan presidential election and came in eighth after securing 6,639 votes (0.07%).[14]

The SLNF contested the 2010 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 19 of the 22 electoral districts but failed to win any seats in Parliament after securing only 5,313 votes (0.07%) across the country.[15] Geeganage contested the 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election and came in 19th (and last) after securing 1,826 votes (0.02%).[16]

Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front

In 2015, the SLNF changed its name to Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front (Ape Sri Lanka Nidahas Peramuna) and its symbol from cricket bat to flower bud.[17][18] In early 2016, OSLFF leader Geeganage hinted that there would be change in the party leadership's soon.[19]

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna

In November 2016, the OSLFF relaunched itself as Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a political front for the Joint Opposition, and appointed G. L. Peiris, a former Foreign Minister and Rajapaksa ally, as its chairman.[20][21] Attorney Sagara Kariyawasam was the front's secretary and its symbol was the flower bud.[22][23] Kariyawasam is a former Sri Lanka Freedom Party organiser and has served as attorney for Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.[24][25][26] Basil Rajapaksa, another brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa, joined the SLPP shortly after it was formed.[27]

In the 2018 Sri Lankan local elections, the SLPP won a surprise 40% plurality of votes, emerging as the party with the most councillors and local authorities.[28][29] The SLPP contested for the election under its flower bud symbol.[30]

In the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election, former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, younger brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, won the election for the SLPP and was sworn in as the new President of Sri Lanka.[31][32] In the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election, the SLPP won a landslide victory and a clear majority in the parliament. The party won 116 seats of the 225 parliamentary seats. Five members of the Rajapaksa family won seats in the parliament, and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa became the new Prime Minister.[33]

Ideology

The SLPP split from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a centre-left, Sinhalese nationalist, and post-colonial party, which political scientist Jayadeva Uyangoda described as "a progressive, social democratic, centre-left political party, that made tremendous contribution to social change and democracy".[5] From the SLFP, it took its nationalism but not its economic outlook.[5] Since 2019, the SLPP performed better than the SLFP, which did not field a candidate for the 2019 presidential election.[5] The split and rightward turn of the SLPP, which moved towards neo-nationalism and right-wing populism,[6][7] caused Anura Kumara Dissanayake's Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna on the left to move closer to social democracy and Sajith Premadasa's free-market oriented United National Party to become more supportive of welfare.[5] Uyagoda described the SLPP as "a right wing, neo-conservative party that favours authoritarianism", and commented: "Though ironically created by the SLFP, the SLPP doesn't replace it, it merely displaces it. The SLPP will undoubtedly tread a free market-oriented path but have Mahinda Rajapaksa to disguise its policy in state-capitalist rhetoric."[5]

Ahead of the 2019 elections, Deshika Elapata, a junior researcher of the European Institute for Asian Studies, described the SLPP as "a socially right-wing and economically left-wing party rooted in Sinhalese nationalism and social democracy".[34] The party supports Sinhalese nationalism,[8][35][36] and opposes federalism in Sri Lanka.[37]

Electoral history

Sri Lanka presidential elections
Election year Candidate Votes Vote % Result
2005 Wimal Geeganage 6,639 0.07% 8th
2015 Wimal Geeganage 1,826 0.02% 19th
2019 Gotabaya Rajapaksa 6,924,255 52.25% Won

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Mahinda Rajapaksa is considered to be the real leader of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, while its official leader G. L. Peiris is considered to be Rajapaksa's proxy.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ "Sri Lanka's Local Government Polls: Time To Send Signals?". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. ^ Liyanagama, Lakdev (6 July 2017). "Waiting to Vote". Daily News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Contact". Sri Lanka People's Youth Front. Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  4. ^ Marasinghe, Sandasen; Jayamanna, Kamal (12 February 2018). "Historic victory for SLPP – JO". Daily News. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Srinivasan, Meera (9 October 2019). "Is this the beginning of the political demise of Sri Lanka Freedom Party?". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Gunawardena, Devaka (19 November 2019). "Sri Lanka: Gotabaya's Triumph Is Constrained by Circumstances Beyond His Control". The Wire. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Jayasuriya, Kanishka (27 November 2019). "The Sri Lankan election and authoritarian populism". East Asia Forum. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Jayakody, Rasika (8 October 2017). "Week of Masqueraders". The Sunday Observer. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  9. ^ "SLPP wins 239 LG bodies, UNP 41". Daily Mirror. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Mahinda made Leader of SLPP". Ada Derana. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna". Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  12. ^ "Results of Parliamentary General Election – 2001" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Results of Parliamentary General Election - 2004" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  14. ^ "Results Of Presidential Election – 2005 (Summary)" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Results of Parliamentary General Election – 2010" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Results Of Presidential Election - 2015" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  17. ^ "If UPFA nomination foils; Mahinda prepared to contest through 'budding flower'". Ada Derana. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  18. ^ "G.L. Peiris to Chair Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna changed". Puvath.lk. November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  19. ^ Fernando, Tharushan (2 February 2016). "Contention in political circles over budding new political party". News First. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  20. ^ "GL named Chairman of Podujana Peramuna". The Daily Mirror. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  21. ^ Sri Abeyratne, Dharma (3 November 2016). "Renamed political party under GL's chairmanship". Daily News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  22. ^ Dharmasena, Ranil (3 November 2016). "Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna formed". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  23. ^ "'Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front' changes name; GL named Chairman". Ada Derana. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  24. ^ Jayakody, Rasika (14 February 2016). "SLFP cracks down on dissidents as pro-MR party suffers birth-pangs". Sunday Observer. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  25. ^ Fonseka, Piyumi (26 July 2015). "MR sends Letters of Demand". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  26. ^ Ramakrishnan, T. (24 April 2015). "Gotabaya Rajapaksa appears before anti-graft body". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  27. ^ "Basil Rajapaksa Joins Sri Lanka Podujana Permauna". Hiru News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  28. ^ Kanakarathna, Thilanka (6 March 2018). "LG Election: SLPP obtained 40% votes; media miscalculated: Champika". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  29. ^ Imtiaz, Zahrah. "Over 180 Local Govt. hung councils". Daily News. No. 14 February 2018. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  30. ^ "Podu Jana Peramuna submits nominations". News Radio. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  31. ^ "Sri Lanka's ruling party calls an election, hoping for a landslide". The Economist. 5 March 2020.
  32. ^ Bastians, Dharisha; Schultz, Kai (17 November 2019). "Gotabaya Rajapaksa Wins Sri Lanka Presidential Election". The New York Times.
  33. ^ "Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lanka's PM".
  34. ^ Elapata, Deshika (4 November 2019). "EU Election Observation Mission to Sri Lanka 2019". European Institute for Asian Studies. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  35. ^ Perera, Jehan. "Prevent Vicious Cycle From Re-Emerging After Election". National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  36. ^ Ranawana, Arjuna (13 July 2019). "The Battle for the Sinhala Right-Wing voter". Economy Next. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  37. ^ "The Politics of Demonizing Federalism and Depicting It as Separatism". Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
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