NPP rules out joining parties ’’rejected by the people’’ to form local councils

The National People's Power (NPP) will not join hands with opposition parties "rejected by the people" to form administrations in local councils it has won but has failed to secure an outright majority, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva said today (7).

Addressing a media briefing at the party head office in Colombo, Mr Silva stated that only the party that has the largest number of members at a local authority has the power and the moral right to form its administration. 

While ruling out forming coalitions with political parties that Mr Silva said had been rejected by the people, he added that the NPP though would consider joining forces with candidates who were elected to the councils contesting independently. 

"Adding together the percentages won by each opposition party does not mean it is the people's mandate. The people's mandate is reflected in the number of votes given to a single party. However, due to deficiencies in this electoral system, even a party that has obtained a small number of votes can have a member elected under proportional representation, the JVP General Secretary said, in reply to a question on opposition parties having more members than the NPP in a significant number of councils the party has won. 

General Secretary of the NPP, Parliamentarian Nihal Abeysinghe said that after the NPP establishes its local councils, it will start work on continuing the government's programme at the local council level. "The councils will help us to establish a good relationship and help us to continue our developmental work," he said, thanking those who had voted for the NPP at the local government election. 

Pix by Indika Handuwala