2011 Sri Lankan local elections

Nominations took place between 20 and 27 January 2011.[8] 2,047 nominations (1,282 form registered political parties, 765 from independent groups) had been received by the returning officers but 450 nominations (148 form registered political parties, 302 from independent groups), more than a fifth, had been rejected to due errors such as not meeting the youth candidates quota; not having the nomination papers attested by a Justices of the Peace; general secretaries of parties/independent groups not signing the nomination papers; and translation errors.[9] This left a total of 1,597 valid nominations (1,134 form registered political parties, 463 from independent groups). Of the 148 rejected nominations from registered political parties, 36 came from the UPFA, 8 from the UNP, 6 from the SLMC, 2 from the TNA and 2 from the JVP.[10]

After the nomination period had ended Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake announced that the elections for the 301 local authorities would be held on 17 March 2011.[11] The 2009 electoral roll was used meaning that approximately 12.7 million registered electors were eligible to vote to elect 3,931 councillors across 301 local authorities (4 municipal councils, 39 urban councils and 258 divisional councils).[12]

The rejections led to 68 writs being filed at the Court of Appeal (UPFA 35, UNP 9, SLMC 6, Independents 11, other parties 7).[13][14] On 18 February 2011 the Court of Appeal ordered the Election Commissioner to not hold elections in three divisional councils (Akmeemana, Akuressa and Moneragala).[15] This prompted the Election Commissioner to postpone elections in all 64 local authorities subject to legal action.[16] On 22 February 2011 it was announced that elections in two divisional councils in Mullaitivu District had also been postponed due most of their electors still being held in IDP camps at Menik Farm.[17] On 11 March 2011 the election for Thunukkai Divisional Council in Mullaitivu District was also postponed due to legal reasons.[18] As a consequence elections were held only in 234 local authorities (3 municipal councils, 30 urban councils and 201 divisional councils) on 17 March 2011. Approximately 9.4 million registered electors were eligible to vote to elect 3,032 councillors.

The deadline for applications for postal voting was originally 16 January but this was later extended to 27 January and then to 31 January.[19][20] There were 321,595 postal vote applications, nearly 100,000 lower than the 2010 parliamentary election.[21] The decline in applications was blamed on general voter apathy and broken electoral promises.[21] Postal voting took place on 8 and 9 March 2011.[22]

On 12 May 2011 the Court of Appeal ordered the Election Commissioner to accept 47 nomination papers which had been rejected.[23][24] This included all 35 from the UPFA, 4 from the UNP, 3 from the SLMC, one from the Citizen's Front and 4 from Independents. 16 writs were dismissed. On 30 May 2011 the Election Commissioner announced that elections to 67 local authorities would be held on 23 July 2011.[25] It was later announced that elections in two divisional councils in Mullaitivu District (Maritimepattu and Puthukkudiyirupp) had been postponed again due to delays in resettling internally displaced persons from the areas.[26] As a consequence elections were held only in 65 local authorities (1 municipal council, 9 urban councils and 55 divisional councils) on 23 July 2011. Approximately 2.6 million registered electors were eligible to vote to elect 875 councillors. Postal voting took place on 12 July 2011.[27] 55,871 electors could vote by post.

On 4 August 2011 the Department of Elections announced that nominations for the remaining 23 local authorities would take place between 18 and 25 August 2011.[28] After the nomination period had ended Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya announced that the elections for the 23 local authorities would be held on 8 October 2011.[7] Elections to the two authorities in Mullaitivu District which had been postponed twice were postponed for a third time on 2 September 2011.[29] Postal voting took place on 29 and 30 September 2011.[30]

Over 400 incidents had been reported up to 12 March including three murders.[31][32] 140 people have been arrested for electoral violence including a number of candidates.[31] As seen in other recent elections, much of the violence, including the three murders, has been caused by intra-party clashes between UPFA candidates.[32] Independent election monitors have criticised the Election Commissioner and the Police for not preventing the violence and violations of electoral law.[32]

After the elections results had been announced Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake issued a highly unusual statement in which he condemned the violence which he labelled as "thuggery", and violations of election laws. "The manner in which some political parties and groups conducted themselves, both before the day of the poll and on the day of the poll, and also the misuse of state resources and state owned media is regrettable" said Dissanayake.[33][34] He noted the prevalence of intra-party clashes. He also lamented the legal challenges to the nomination rejections which had prevented elections taking place in 301 local authorities as originally intended. Despite this Dissanayake concluded that these election had been better than previous local elections and that the election had been "peaceful, free and fair". Dissanayake retired immediately after the election and was replaced by his deputy Mahinda Deshapriya.[35]

The second phase of the election was also marred by violence, misuse of state resources, and other violations of election laws. Hundreds of incidents were reported including one murder.[36] Events in the north of the country were particularly bad. There were reports of vote buying, intimidation by armed groups, grabbing of polling cards, election violations and a general fear psychosis in the north.[37] Independent monitors observed blatant violations including open bribery and the transporting of party supporters to the wide abuse of state machinery and other resources, all in favour of the UPFA.[37] Voters were offered food or even cash for their poll cards.[37] Numerous UPFA government ministers and even the President visited the north during the election campaign, and very often they inaugurated new development projects. The whole state machinery in the north, including the military, police, provincial council and district secretariats, were used to support the campaign of the UPFA. A TNA election meeting in Alaveddy on 16 June 2011 was attacked by the Sri Lankan military.[38][39] Other acts of intimidation against the TNA by the military and the paramilitary EPDP include the severed head of a dog being impaled on the gates of a TNA candidate in Manipay; a shot dead dog being thrown into the private well of leading TNA member in Thirunelvely; sewage, mud and stones being thrown onto the house of a TNA candidate in Valvettithurai; funeral wreath and cremation ash being left at the home of a TNA candidate in Kodikamam; and motor oil being thrown onto the house of a TNA candidate in Sandilipay.[40][41][42] On the eve of voting government backed paramilitaries confiscated thousands polling cards from voters in Kilinochchi and threatened them violence.[36]

Despite all this election commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya judged the second phase of the local election to be peaceful with only "minor incidents" reported.[43]

The third phase of the election was also marred by violence, misuse of state resources, and other violations of election laws. The election saw five murders, mostly as a result of intra-party rivalry within the UPFA. On 7 October 2011 a UPFA supporter was shot dead in Kotikawatta.[44] On an election day a violent clash erupted between two senior UPFA members, Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and Duminda Silva, and their supporters at Mulleriyawa.[45][46] A gunfight broke out between the two groups which killed Premachandra and three of his supporters.[47][48][49] 95 election related violent incidents had been reported to the People's Action for Free and Fair Elections Executive (PAFFREL), an independent election monitoring group, up to 4 October 2011.[50] The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), another independent election monitoring group, concluded that the elections were not free and fair.[51] CaFFE recorded incidents of heavy misuse of state property, illegal propaganda and campaigning, intimidation, assault and failure by the police to uphold electoral law.[51]

The UPFA won control of 205 local authorities (including two contesting as the National Congress), the TNA won 12 local authorities, the UNP won 9 local authorities, the SLMC won 4 local authorities and a UPFA backed independent group won one local authority.[53][54][55][56] There was no overall control in the 3 other local authorities but the UPFA was the largest group in two and the UCPF in one.

The UPFA won control of 44 local authorities and the TNA won 20 local authorities (including two contesting as the Tamil United Liberation Front).[57][58] There was no overall control in the remaining local authority but the UPFA was the largest group.

The UPFA won control of 21 local authorities and the SLMC won one local authority.[59][60] There was no overall control in the remaining local authority (Colombo Municipal Council) but the UNP was the largest group.