The inaugural meeting of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has commenced today (16) amidst a tense atmosphere. No single party secured a majority in the recent local government elections. The meeting is being presided over by the Western Province Local Government Commissioner, Sarangika Jayasundara.
A heated debate has erupted within the council regarding the method of electing the Mayor – whether it will be through a secret ballot or an open vote.
A relevant gazette notification was recently issued by the Local Government Commissioner. According to the notification, the first order of business at the meeting held at the Colombo Town Hall is the election of the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
According to the results of the local government elections, the Janatha Janatha Peramuna (JJB) secured 48 seats out of the total 117 in the CMC. In comparison, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) won 29 seats. The United National Party (UNP) obtained 13 seats, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) secured 5 seats, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) gained 4 seats, and the Sarwajana Bala obtained 2 seats. The remaining seats were distributed among other political parties and independent groups.
As no party obtained more than 50 percent of the seats in the election results, a vote is scheduled to be held at today’s inaugural meeting to elect the key officials of the Colombo Municipal Council.
Meanwhile, the Sarwajana Bala executive committee has decided to support the candidate nominated by the opposition parties contesting for the mayoral position of the Colombo Municipal Council. Accordingly, Sarwajana Bala will vote against the candidate of the National People’s Power (NPP).
