Sri Lanka local body elections: NPP feels the ground shift

The story from the May 6 local body elections in Sri Lanka is that the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) alliance witnessed a worrying dip in vote percentage from the last election, and that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s party—the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)—is gaining ground. It also appears that the northern Tamils’ honeymoon phase with the NPP-Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is over.

In the 2024 general election, the NPP was far ahead of all other formations, garnering 61.5 per cent of the votes. In the 2025 local government elections, this dipped to 43.26 per cent. In the first round of the presidential election in 2024, the NPP had managed 42.3 per cent—a shade less than what it mustered in the 2025 local body elections. The latest elections, fought on local issues, clearly indicate that people are running out of patience with the government…..| read more on Frontline