14th Parliament of Sri Lanka

The 14th parliamentary election was held on 8 April and 20 April 2010. The incumbent United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) secured a landslide victory in the elections, buoyed by its achievement of ending the 26-year Sri Lankan Civil War by defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in May 2009. The UPFA won a large majority in parliament, obtaining 144 seats, an increase of 39 since the 13th parliamentary election. The United National Front (UNF), the main opposition party, won 60 seats, a decline of 22. The minority Tamil party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won 14 seats, a decline of 8, and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), contesting for the first time, won 7 seats.^[1]

Results

More information Party, Votes ...

Party		Votes	%	Seats
				District	National	Total
	United People's Freedom Alliance[i]	4,846,388	60.33	127	17	144
	United National Front[ii]	2,357,057	29.34	51	9	60
	Democratic National Alliance[iii]	441,251	5.49	5	2	7
	Tamil National Alliance[iv]	233,190	2.90	13	1	14
	Up-Country People's Front	24,670	0.31	0	0	0
	Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal	20,284	0.25	0	0	0
	Sinhalaye Mahasammatha Bhoomiputra Pakshaya	12,170	0.15	0	0	0
	Tamil United Liberation Front	9,223	0.11	0	0	0
	Tamil National People's Front[v]	7,544	0.09	0	0	0
	Democratic People's Liberation Front[vi]	6,036	0.08	0	0	0
	Sri Lanka National Front	5,313	0.07	0	0	0
	Eelavar Democratic Front	3,709	0.05	0	0	0
	Jathika Sangwardhena Peramuna	3,358	0.04	0	0	0
	Eelam People's Democratic Party	2,867	0.04	0	0	0
	Our National Front	2,647	0.03	0	0	0
	United National Alternative Front	2,454	0.03	0	0	0
	Eksath Lanka Podujana Pakshaya	2,387	0.03	0	0	0
	Left Liberation Front	2,386	0.03	0	0	0
	United Socialist Party	2,192	0.03	0	0	0
	Pathmanabha Eelam Revolutionary Liberation Front	2,100	0.03	0	0	0
	Jana Setha Peramuna	1,501	0.02	0	0	0
	United Democratic Front	1,497	0.02	0	0	0
	Democratic Unity Alliance	1,270	0.02	0	0	0
	Eksath Lanka Maha Sabha	673	0.01	0	0	0
	Patriotic National Front	558	0.01	0	0	0
	Okkoma Wasiyo Okkoma Rajawaru Sanvidanaya	476	0.01	0	0	0
	Socialist Equality Party	371	0.00	0	0	0
	Sri Lanka Labour Party	338	0.00	0	0	0
	National Peoples Party	164	0.00	0	0	0
	Muslim National Alliance	147	0.00	0	0	0
	The Liberal Party	131	0.00	0	0	0
	Muslim Liberation Front	130	0.00	0	0	0
	Ruhunu Janatha Party	109	0.00	0	0	0
	Akila Ilankai Tamil United Front	85	0.00	0	0	0
	Ceylon Democratic Unity Alliance	75	0.00	0	0	0
	New Sinhala Heritage	19	0.00	0	0	0
	Independents	38,947	0.48	0	0	0
Total		8,033,717	100.00	196	29	225
Valid votes		8,033,717	93.08
Invalid/blank votes		596,972	6.92
Total votes		8,630,689	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		14,088,500	61.26
Source: Election Commission, Election Commission

Close

The new parliament was sworn in on 22 April 2010.^[2] Chamal Rajapaksa, brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was elected Speaker, Piyankara Jayaratne as the Deputy Speaker and Murugesu Chandrakumar as the Deputy Chairman of Committees.^[3] Ranil Wickremesinghe was recognised as the Leader of the Opposition.^[4] John Amaratunga was appointed as the Chief Opposition Whip.^[5]

On 2 May 2010 the government appointed Nimal Siripala de Silva as the Leader of the House and Dinesh Gunawardena as the Chief Government Whip.^[6]

Chandima Weerakkody was elected Deputy Speaker on 23 November 2010 after his predecessor Piyankara Jayaratne was made a minister.^[7]

On 21 April 2010, President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed D. M. Jayaratne as the new Prime Minister.^[8] The rest of the government, comprising 36 ministers and 39 deputy ministers, was sworn in on 23 April 2010.^[9] President Rajapaksa has retained control of the important ministries of Defence, Finance and Planning, Highways, and Ports and Aviation.

Mervyn Silva resigned as Deputy Minister of Mass Media & Information on 5 May 2010.^[10] A further four Ministers and five Deputy Ministers were sworn in on 5 May 2010.^[11] Mervyn Silva was appointed as the new Deputy Minister of Highways. 85 UPFA MPs were now part of the government.

Mervyn Silva was dismissed from his ministerial post and suspended from the SLFP on 10 August 2010.^[12] However, a subsequent SLFP disciplinary cleared him of all charges and on 8 September 2010 he was reappointed to his ministerial post.^[13][14]

On 22 November 2010, three days after Rajapaksa was sworn in for his second presidential term, a new government was sworn in.^[15] A number of opposition MPs who had defected to the UPFA were rewarded with ministerial posts. A further minister and three deputy ministers were sworn in on 25 November 2010.^[16] 95 UPFA MPs were now part of the government.^[17]

S. M. Chandrasena resigned as Minister of Agrarian Services & Wildlife with effect from 26 September 2012.^[18] He was appointed Deputy Minister of Agrarian Services & Wildlife on 5 October 2012.^[19]

President Rajapaksa carried out a cabinet re-shuffle on 28 January 2013, appointing some new ministers and deputy ministers.^[20][21] 96 UPFA MPs were now part of the government.^[22] Nine new deputy ministers were appointed on 10 October 2013.^[23][24] 105 UPFA MPs were now part of the government (Prime Minister + 10 senior ministers + 54 ministers + 2 project ministers + 38 deputy ministers (excluding Sarath Amunugama who is also a Senior Minister)).^[25][26]

Deputy Economic Development Minister S. M. Chandrasena was appointed as Cabinet Minister for Special Projects on 23 November 2013.^[27][28] Palani Digambaran and Praba Ganesan were appointed deputy ministers on 21 August 2014.^[29][30] V. Radhakrishnan was appointed deputy minister on 9 October 2014.^[31]

Maithripala Sirisena defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015 presidential election, after which he appointed a UNP-dominated national government (NG).^[32][33]

• 22 April 2010 – Palani Digambaran, the sole NUW MP, leaves the UNF alliance to function as an independent MP following a dispute over National List seats.^[34][35]
• 4 August 2010 – SLFP (People's wing) dissolved.^[36] Its sole MP Mangala Samaraweera joins the UNP on 6 August 2010.^[37]
• 5 August 2010 – Palani Digambaran of the NUW and Praba Ganesan of the Democratic People's Front (DPF) cross over to the UPFA.^[38] It was reported that Ganesan was suspended from the DPF.^[39]
• 27 August 2010 – Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) decides to support the government on constitutional changes, including removing the two-term limit on the presidency, whilst remaining in opposition.^[40] The SLMC's eight MPs will give the government the two-thirds majority needed in Parliament to amend the constitution.
• 8 September 2010 – 6 UNP MPs (A. R. M. Abdul Cader, Earl Gunasekara, Manusha Nanayakkara, Lakshman Senewiratne, Upeksha Swarnamali and Nimal Senarath Wijesinghe) cross over to the UPFA during the 18th amendment debate, following suspension from the UNP.^[41][42][43]
• 8 September 2010 – TNA MP Podiappuhamy Piyasena joins the UPFA.^[44]
• 11 September 2010 – V. Radhakrishnan quits the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) to sit as an independent MP supporting the UPFA.^[45]
• 7 October 2010 – V. Radhakrishnan joins the Up-Country People's Front (UCPF).^[46]
• 22 November 2010 – 8 SLMC MPs join the UPFA.^[47][48]
• 24 December 2010 – Achala Jagodage is expelled from the National Freedom Front.^[49]
• 30 November 2011 – UNP MP Mohan Lal Grero crosses over to the ruling UPFA.^[50] He is rewarded by being appointed Monitoring MP for the Ministry of Education.^[51]
• 15 November 2012 – DNA MP Ajith Kumara becomes an independent MP.^[52] Kumara had been suspended from the JVP in 2011 for supporting a breakaway group of the JVP (subsequently called the Frontline Socialist Party).^[53]
• 8 August 2013 – Perumal Rajadurai quits the CWC to sit as an independent MP supporting UPFA.^[54]
• 18 November 2014 – 3 JHU MPs leave the UPFA.^[55][56][57]
• 20 November 2014 – UPFA MP Wasantha Senanayake joins the UNP.^[58]
• 21 November 2014 – UPFA minister Maithripala Sirisena resigns from the UPFA government to contest in the upcoming presidential election.^[59][60] He is joined by 5 other UPFA MPs – Duminda Dissanayake, M. K. D. S. Gunawardena, Rajitha Senaratne and Rajiva Wijesinha.^[61][62][63]
• 21 November 2014 – Perumal Rajadurai resigns from the UPFA.^[64] He joins the UNP on 25 November 2014.^[65]
• 26 November 2014 – UPFA MP Hunais Farook crosses over to the UNP.^[66][67]
• 30 November 2014 – UPFA MP Navin Dissanayake resigns from the UPFA.^[68][69]
• 8 December 2014 – UNP MP Tissa Attanayake and Democratic Party MP Jayantha Ketagoda join the UPFA.^[70][71] Attanayake is rewarded by being appointed Minister of Health on 11 December 2014.^[72][73]
• 10 December 2014 – Palani Digambaran and V. Radhakrishnan resign from the UPFA.^[74][75]
• 22 December 2014 – All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC) (two MPs) leaves UPFA.^[76][77] The third ACMC MP (M. L. Alim Mohammad Hisbullah) remains in the government.^[78][79]
• 28 December 2014 – SLMC (eight MPs) leaves UPFA.^[80][81]
• 31 December 2014 – Faiszer Musthapha resigns from the UPFA.^[82]
• 1 January 2015 – Nandimithra Ekanayake resigns from the UPFA.^[83][84]
• 17 March 2015 – Rajiva Wijesinha leaves the national government and crosses over to the opposition.^[85][86]
• 18 March 2015 – Arjuna Ranatunga joins the SLFP.^[87][88]
• 22 March 2015 – 27 UPFA MPs, mostly from the SLFP, join the national government.^[89][90][91]
• 2 April 2015 – Deputy Minister Tissa Karalliyadde leaves the national government.^[92][93]
• 5 April 2015 – UPFA MP P. Dayaratna crosses over to UNP.^[94]
• 21 May 2015 – One cabinet minister and 3 state ministers leave the national government.^[95][96]
• 29 May 2015 – 3 UPFA MPs join the national government.^[97][98]
• 10 June 2015 – 4 UPFA MPs join the national government.^[99][100]