The Parliamentary Elections of 2010: Reconfiguring Power Relations in a Changing Political Landscape

Prof. Sisira Pinnawala reflects on last month’s General Elections

The general election 2010 concluded with the expected results. The ruling coalition though did not get the two thirds majority it was asking for, came very close to achieving it failing only by a whisker. The opposition can, as it has been doing since the defeat, console itself that it prevented the ruling party getting the two thirds majority they wanted. More than that it also finds solace in the fact that the turnout was low.

They argue, hopefully they do not believe it for their own good, that the poor turnout is indicative of voters not having faith in the system, which for the opposition is the government. They do not want to accept the fact the system includes them too and that the poor turnout is equally due to the fact that the opposition failed to give the voter a credible alternative.
The 2010 Parliamentary election has clearly established the dominance of the PA’s successor the UPFA. It is no longer a party of the majority Sinhalese and neither it is dependent on the rural voter. At the Parliamentary election of 2010 the UPFA made inroads even in the North and East. The 2010 parliamentary elections thus confirmed the total and complete domination of the PA in all districts and all sectors.

Weakening of the ethnic minority parties with a separatist agenda and extending foothold of the national parties in the north and east are very important realignments and reconfiguration of political power resulting from 2010 Parliamentary election. The movement in this direction, one could argue, began with the Presidential election which saw Mr. Rajapaksa making considerable gains in the North and East, in spite of the Ilankei Thamil Arasu katchi (ITAK) which has the dubious distinction being LTTE proxy, putting its entire weight behind the opposition candidate. With the Tamil voter not being pressurized to vote for the LTTE proxies this time national parties had a better chance in the North and the East.

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