Politics

Sri Lankan president’s coalition wins majority in general election

Published

5 months ago

November 15, 2024

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By Uditha Jayasinghe and Sudipto Ganguly

COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lankans handed Anura Kumara Dissanayake a thumping win in a snap general election, giving its new leftist president greater legislative power to pursue policies to alleviate poverty and fight graft as the country recovers from a financial meltdown.

Dissanayake, a political outsider in a country dominated by family parties for decades, comfortably won the island’s presidential election in September.

But his Marxist-leaning coalition, the National People’s Power (NPP), had just three of parliament’s 225 seats before Thursday’s election, prompting him to dissolve it and seek a fresh mandate.

The NPP won 107 seats, receiving almost 62% or 6.8 million votes in Thursday’s election, putting them past the majority mark in the parliament, latest results on the Election Commission of Sri Lanka’s website showed. A two-third majority appeared within reach of the coalition.

Sri Lanka’s President and National People’s Power (NPP) party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake meets his party supporters after casting his vote on the day of the parliamentary election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 14, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
© Thomson Reuters

Voters directly elect 196 members to parliament from 22 constituencies under a proportional representation system. The remaining 29 seats will be allocated according to the island-wide proportional vote obtained by each party.

“We see this as a critical turning point for Sri Lanka. We expect a mandate to form a strong parliament, and we are confident the people will give us this mandate,” Dissanayake said after casting his vote on Thursday.

“There is a change in Sri Lanka’s political culture that started in September, which must continue.”

Celebrations were largely muted, with the exception of a few NPP loyalists who lit fireworks in the outskirts of the capital, Colombo.

Just over 17 million Sri Lankans were eligible to elect lawmakers for a five-year term. A record 690 political parties and independent groups were contesting across 22 electoral districts.

An election official holding a ballot box gets off the bus outside a vote counting centre after the voting ended for the parliamentary election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 14, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
© Thomson Reuters

Samagi Jana Balawegaya party of opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, the main challenger to Dissanayake’s coalition, won 28 seats and about 18% of the votes polled. The New Democratic Front, backed by previous President Ranil Wickremesinghe, won just three seats.

An election official carries a ballot box next to security force personnel at a vote counting centre after the voting ended for the parliamentary election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 14, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
© Thomson Reuters

TENTATIVE ECONOMIC RECOVERY

Sri Lanka typically backs the president’s party in general elections, especially if voting is held soon after a presidential vote.

The president wields executive power but Dissanayake still requires a parliamentary majority to appoint a fully-fledged cabinet and deliver on key promises to cut taxes, support local businesses, and fight poverty.

He also has plans to abolish Sri Lanka’s contentious executive presidency but requires a two-third majority in parliament to implement it.

A nation of 22 million, Sri Lanka was crushed by a 2022 economic crisis triggered by a severe shortage of foreign currency that pushed it into a sovereign default and caused its economy to shrink by 7.3% in 2022 and 2.3% last year.

An election official carries a ballot box next to police officers at a counting center, after voting ended for the parliamentary election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 14, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
© Thomson Reuters

Boosted by a $2.9 billion bailout programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the economy has begun a tentative recovery, but the high cost of living is still a critical issue for many, especially the poor.

Dissanayake also aims to tweak targets set by the IMF to rein in income tax and free up funds to invest in welfare for the millions hit hardest by the crisis.

But investors worry his desire to revisit the terms of the IMF bailout could delay future disbursements, making it harder for Sri Lanka to hit a key primary surplus target of 2.3% of GDP in 2025 set by the IMF.

Politics

Governorship Candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Anambra State, Sir Paul Chukwuma has nominated Chief Uzuegbunam Okagbue, the former Chief Protocol Officer and Deputy Chief of Staff to former Gov. Willie Obiano as his running mate in the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election

Published

14 hours ago

April 25, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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Sir Paul Chukwuma, the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Anambra State, has unveiled Hon. Uzo Okagbue as his running mate for the November 8, 2025, governorship election. Okagbue, a former Chief Protocol Officer to Governor Willie Obiano, brings valuable experience to the ticket.

Running Mate Background : Okagbue hails from Umonachi community, Dunukofia Local Government Area, and has previously served under former Governor Obiano.
Chukwuma’s Confidence: The YPP candidate expressed confidence in Okagbue’s ability to help the party win the election, citing his grassroots mobilization strategies.

Okagbue’s Promise: The newly unveiled running mate promised to utilize his political strategy to secure a YPP victory on November 8, with the aim of governing the state from March 17, 2026.

This development sets the stage for an interesting election season in Anambra State.

Politics

Damagum: Wike’s aide blasts Ugochinyere for asking PDP to expel FCT Minister, Anyanwu

Published

14 hours ago

April 25, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has branded the House of Representatives member from Ideato Federal constituency of Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere a liar.

Olayinka described Ugochinyere as a political Hushpuppi looking for a platform to practice his alleged nefarious activities.

He was reacting to the lawmakers call for the Peoples Democratic Party National Working Committee, NWC, to expel Wike and embattled National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu from the party.

Ugochinyere had claimed that expelling Wike and Anyanwu as well as removing Umar Damagum as PDP National Chairman would end the crisis within the party.

Warning of an imminent danger, Ugochinyere had said: “Averting this imminent danger which will happen in a matter of days, the NWC must immediately rise up and summon an emergency meeting of the party with their simple majority which they already have with or without Damagum to expel Anyanwu who is the political traitor from the party and also rectify the removal of Damagum by appointing a North Central person as the substantive National Chairman of our party.”

But condemning the lawmaker’s claims, Olayinka said he will no longer be available for the PDP.

In a chat with Ekwutosblog, Olayinka said: “Ugochinyere is one of the lies and deceits of the PDP.

“A political hushpuppi who’s always looking for platform to practice his Yahoo Yahoo politics.

“Very soon, PDP will look for him and he will be nowhere available to the party.”

Politics

Tinubu’s reforms yielding positive results – APC State commissioners

Published

14 hours ago

April 25, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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Commissioners for Information from All Progressives Congress (APC)-governed states have praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its bold and strategic reforms, describing them as foundational steps toward national development.

This commendation came during the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) Quarterly Strategy Meeting, held April 24–25, 2025, at the PGF Secretariat in Asokoro, Abuja.

The gathering aimed to strengthen strategic communication, align state-level policies, and enhance democratic accountability within APC states.

The forum, organized under the PGF Secretariat and aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration, provided a platform for peer review, experience sharing, and harmonization of communication strategies.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the commissioners expressed appreciation for the resilience and support of Nigerians amid ongoing economic reforms, assuring that positive outcomes are beginning to manifest.

They pledged unwavering loyalty to Progressive Governors and reaffirmed their commitment to transparency, accountability, and performance-based governance.

The forum also adopted the PGF National Value Reorientation Campaign, aimed at rebuilding public trust, fostering patriotism, and promoting responsible citizenship.

Commissioners resolved to domesticate the campaign in their respective states through strategic messaging, grassroots engagement, and inter-state collaboration.

They emphasized the importance of ongoing capacity building and the institutionalization of a quarterly APC States Communication Strategy Review Forum to reinforce these efforts.

Attendees included Gbenga Omotoso (Lagos), Sagir Musa Ahmed (Jigawa), Kayode Akinmade (Ogun), Kingsley Femi Fanwo (Kogi), Erasmus Ekpang (Cross River), Taiwo Olatunbosun (Ekiti), Binta Mamman (Niger), Ibrahim Tanko (Nasarawa), Ibraheem Musa (Kaduna), Sambo Bello Danchadi (Sokoto), Paul Ohonbamu (Edo), Yusuf Ali (Yobe), and PGF Director General, Folorunso S. Aluko.