The 2025 Local Government elections in Sri Lanka brought big changes to the political landscape. The National People’s Power (NPP) became the strongest party, winning control of 265 out of 339 Local Councils. They gained 43.26 percent of the total votes and secured 3,927 Council seats. However, in many Councils, including major ones such as the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), the NPP did not win an outright majority. At the CMC, for example, they got only 36.92 percent of the seats.
This raises important questions: How will the NPP appoint Council Chairpersons without a clear majority? Will they form alliances, negotiate with rivals, or use other strategies to take leadership?
The results have also led to debates about how local election outcomes relate to national politics. Some politicians and analysts are comparing these results to past Presidential and parliamentary elections. But is this fair? Local elections are mostly about community services and regional concerns, while national elections deal with broader leadership and policymaking.
In this article, we explore what these election results mean through the views of experts, focusing on how Council leadership is decided and whether local and national elections should really be compared. Understanding these points helps make sense of Sri Lanka’s changing political scene and avoids misleading assumptions about the future.
Attorney-at-Law and election expert, Dissanayaka Dassanayake
“After a Local Government election, it is the Election Commission’s job to begin the process of setting up the Local Councils,” said Dassanayake. “If a political party wins over 50 percent of the votes in a Council, the Commission will ask that party to name a Chairman and Vice Chairman. This request is officially sent to the party’s Secretary. When the names are submitted, the appointments are published (gazetted) by the Commission.”
But what happens when no party wins over 50 percent?
“In such cases,” he says, “The responsibility goes to the Provincial Commissioner of that area. They will handle the process of selecting the Chairman and Vice Chairman.”
Attorney-at-Law and expert on elections and Local Government Ms. Gayani Premathilaka
The Sunday Observer asked Ms Gayani Premathilaka about what happens when no political party wins more than 50 percent of the votes in a Local Council.
She said, “If no party gets a clear majority, the Local Government Commissioner calls a special meeting. At this meeting, the members of the council vote to elect a Chairperson. This is done based on Section 66c of the Local Government Elections Ordinance.”
There are different ways the Chairperson can be chosen:
• If only one name is proposed, that person is automatically appointed – no vote is needed.
• If two names are proposed, a vote is taken. Members decide whether the vote should be secret or open.
• If more than two names are proposed, and no one gets a clear majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Then, another vote is held. This process continues until only two candidates remain and one receives the majority.
“If the Council chooses a secret ballot, the Commissioner will prepare and manage the printed ballot papers,” she added.
The Vice Chairperson is chosen in the same way. But with one key difference: the Chairperson, not the Commissioner, leads that process after they are elected.
“The Commissioner must attend every Council election,” she said. “The Ministry of Local Government has already issued clear instructions and provided training to Commissioners from all nine provinces to carry out this process properly.”
Q: There’s been talk about Budgets being defeated. What does that mean for a Chairperson?
Ms. Premathilaka said that after a Chairperson is appointed (they serve for two years), they must present a Budget to the Council.
“If their Budget is rejected, they can lose their position, and a new Chairperson can be appointed using the same voting process,” she said. “But if the new Chairperson also fails to get their Budget passed, the entire council is dissolved.”
“In short, only two Chairpersons can be appointed during one Council term. If both fail, the council is shut down.”
Attorney-at-Law Jagath Liyanarachchi
The Sunday Observer asked Mr. Jagath Liyanarachchi whether it’s fair to compare the results of Local Government elections with national elections. His answer was clear.
“If you want to understand which party is gaining or losing support in the Local Government space, you should compare two Local Government elections – not mix them with national elections,” he said. “To track a party’s progress over time, the best approach is to compare the two most recent elections of the same type.”
For example, to understand party performance at the grassroots level, you’d compare the 2025 and 2018 Local Government elections. But if you’re looking at a party’s overall growth, including national influence, it makes sense to compare results from the most recent parliamentary elections instead.
However, Liyanarachchi warned against drawing firm conclusions based on election results in Sri Lanka.
“Our political landscape keeps changing,” he said. “In 2018, there was no Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), and the National People’s Power (NPP) hadn’t taken the form it has today. Back then, it was the UNP and the JVP. But now, those parties have transformed, some have split, some have joined alliances, and new names have emerged.”
“If we look closely, no two elections are truly comparable. The political parties themselves keep changing,” he said.
Former Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya
We also spoke to former Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya to get his perspective on the 2025 Local Government elections and how they should be interpreted.
He said that when people vote in Local Government elections, their decisions are often based on personal factors such as friendships, family ties, or caste rather than party policies or national politics.
“This election doesn’t decide who controls the State,” he said. “It only affects local or divisional power. That’s a big difference from a Presidential or Parliamentary Election, where real State power is at stake.”
“Because of this, many people felt the Local Government election wasn’t very important since winning it wouldn’t change the Government.
Deshapriya said that the ruling party did lose support in this election and added that even if we compare these results to a parliamentary election, the Government still holds a majority in Parliament. So the idea that the Government should step down because of this result is not valid.
“However,” he added, “the people have clearly sent a message to the Government. The drop in votes should be taken seriously. The Government needs to ask itself what went wrong in areas such as Kalutara, and why public support has declined.”
Executive Director, IRES Manjula Gajanayake
The Sunday Observer also spoke to Mr. Manjula Gajanayake to understand the broader political context of the 2025 Local Government elections.
He said that these elections were held after a long delay, nearly seven and a half years. In that time, Sri Lanka has seen major political changes.
For the first time in the country’s history, a Left-leaning political party now holds the Executive Presidency and parliamentary power. The influence of traditional political parties has sharply declined. People are losing interest in them, and some of these parties may need to rebrand, completely changing their name, logo, or leadership, to stay relevant.
“For example,” he said, “the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), which won the 2018 Local Government elections, doesn’t control any Councils at present. The United National Party (UNP) has also collapsed significantly. On the other hand, new parties such as the Samagi Jana Balawegaya have emerged as strong contenders.”
Gajanayake said that the legal and regulatory landscape has changed since 2018, with new issues such as the Youth and Women’s Representation requirements and campaign finance rules coming into play in this election.
He said that while election data can be analysed in many ways, we should be cautious about comparisons. “After the 2022 Aragalaya (People’s uprising), the political climate and public attitudes have changed drastically. Comparing elections before and after that period is very difficult.” As one example, he pointed to a noticeable drop in election-related violence and a shift in voter behaviour, saying these changes reflect a new political era in Sri Lanka.
The 2025 Sri Lankan Local Government elections have undeniably reshaped the country’s political landscape. While parties may interpret the results to suit their narratives, the electoral outcomes, victories and defeats are clear and unchangeable. These results reflect the people’s voice at the grassroots level, emphasising the importance of local governance in addressing community needs.
However, democracy transcends the mere act of winning elections. True democratic governance is measured by how effectively elected officials serve their constituents. Local Governments are the closest to the people and play a pivotal role in delivering essential services, ensuring public safety, and fostering community development. Their success lies not in political dominance but in their commitment to public service and responsiveness to citizens’ needs.
As Sri Lanka moves forward, it’s crucial to recognise that the essence of democracy is not solely in electoral victories but in the continuous effort to serve and uplift the lives of communities. By focusing on transparent, accountable, and citizen-centric governance, local authorities can strengthen public trust and contribute to a more inclusive and effective democratic system.
While the 2025 Local Government elections have set the stage for political realignments, the true measure of progress will be seen in how these elected bodies prioritise service over power, ensuring that democracy remains a tool for the betterment of all citizens.
