64-465: 1. Resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa 2. Accountability for corruption 3. Economic reforms 4. Access to essential services 5. Political reforms 6. Youth participation The Sri Lanka People's Front ( Sinhala : ශ්රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ , romanized: Śrī Laṃkā Podujana Peramuna ; Tamil : இலங்கை பொதுஜன முன்னணி , romanized: Ilaṅkai Potujaṉa Muṉṉaṇi ), commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna ( SLPP ),
128-662: A Dravidian origin for this word. ), dola for pig in Vedda and offering in Sinhala. Other common words are rera for wild duck, and gala for stones (in toponyms used throughout the island, although others have also suggested a Dravidian origin). There are also high frequency words denoting body parts in Sinhala, such as olluva for head, kakula for leg, bella for neck and kalava for thighs, that are derived from pre-Sinhalese languages of Sri Lanka. The oldest Sinhala grammar, Sidatsan̆garavā , written in
192-463: A further six in 1923. The Donoughmore Commission made a number of recommendations in relation to local government including that all members of local authorities be elected, the establishment of new authorities, reorganisation of existing authorities and the creation of the Department of Local Government. The Urban Councils Ordinance No. 61 of 1939 created Urban Councils in the largest towns in
256-576: A long history of local government. According to the Mahavamsa the earliest Sinhalese settlements, dating to the 4th century BC, were village based. These villages were used by the Sinhalese kings as a unit of administration. Each village was independently administered. Village Councils (Gam Sabhas) administered local affairs, addressed people's grievances and settled minor disputes. The village-based administration continued for centuries in one form or
320-779: A period of prior bilingualism: "The earliest type of contact in Sri Lanka, not considering the aboriginal Vedda languages, was that which occurred between South Dravidian and Sinhala. It seems plausible to assume prolonged contact between these two populations as well as a high degree of bilingualism. This explains why Sinhala looks deeply South Dravidian for an Indo-Aryan language. There is corroboration in genetic findings." In addition to many Tamil loanwords , several phonetic and grammatical features also present in neighbouring Dravidian languages set modern spoken Sinhala apart from its Northern Indo-Aryan relatives. These features are evidence of close interactions with Dravidian speakers. Some of
384-411: A “ city ” is not a legal division in the constitution of Sri Lanka . Sri Lankan local authorities are divided into 3 different groups: And some areas have special administrations : As of November 2017, there were 341 local authorities (24 municipal councils, 41 urban councils and 276 divisional councils). All local authorities are elected using the mixed electoral system . Sri Lanka has
448-645: Is a political party in Sri Lanka . It was the ruling party in Sri Lanka from 2019 to 2022 and was the largest party in parliament from 2020 to 2024. Previously a minor political party known as the Sri Lanka National Front ( SLNF ) and Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front ( OSLFF ), it was relaunched in 2016 as the SLPP and the party became the base for members of the United People's Freedom Alliance loyal to its former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and
512-463: Is a conspicuous example of the linguistic phenomenon known as diglossia . Sinhala ( Siṁhala ) is a Sanskrit term; the corresponding Middle Indo-Aryan ( Eḷu ) word is Sīhala . The name is a derivative of siṁha , the Sanskrit word for 'lion'. The name is sometimes glossed as 'abode of lions', and attributed to a supposed former abundance of lions on the island. According to
576-599: Is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka , who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. Sinhala is also spoken as the first language by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totalling about 2 million speakers as of 2001. It is written using the Sinhala script , which is a Brahmic script closely related to the Grantha script of South India. Sinhala
640-484: Is divided into four epochs: The most important phonetic developments of Sinhala include: According to Wilhelm Geiger , an example of a possible Western feature in Sinhala is the retention of initial /v/ which developed into /b/ in the Eastern languages (e.g. Sanskrit viṁśati "twenty", Sinhala visi- , Hindi bīs ). This is disputed by Muhammad Shahidullah who says that Sinhala Prakrit branched off from
704-412: Is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka, alongside Tamil . Along with Pali , it played a major role in the development of Theravada Buddhist literature. Early forms of the Sinhala language are attested as early as the 3rd century BCE. The language of these inscriptions, still retaining long vowels and aspirated consonants, is a Prakrit similar to Magadhi , a regional associate of
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#1732771990254768-601: Is the general secretary of the party. G. L. Peiris was formerly the chairman of the party before defecting to form the Freedom People's Congress . The Sri Lanka National Front (Sri Lanka Jathika Peramuna) contested the 2001 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 15 of the 22 electoral districts across the country. The party failed to win a single seat in the Parliament of Sri Lanka after securing 719 votes (about 0.01% of all votes cast). The SLNF contested again in
832-464: Is the third and lowest level of government in Sri Lanka – after the central government and provincial councils . The local government bodies are collectively known as local authorities. They are responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. There are no mayors in Sri Lanka and
896-549: The 2004 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 17 of the 22 electoral districts but once again failed to win any seats in Parliament after securing 493 votes (0.01%). SLNF leader Wimal Geeganage contested the 2005 Sri Lankan presidential election and came in eighth after securing 6,639 votes (0.07%). The SLNF contested the 2010 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 19 of the 22 electoral districts but failed to win any seats in Parliament after securing 5,313 votes (0.07%) across
960-664: The Governor and the Legislative Council to create a Village Committee at the request of local residents. The Government Agent chaired the Village Committee and other members were appointed. The Village Committees were similar to the Village Councils. Village Committees worked well and in 1938 reforms were carried out allowing for members to be elected, the chairman being elected by other members,
1024-716: The Local Authorities (Special Provisions) Act, No. 21 of 2012 and Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 22 of 2012 , changing the electoral system for electing local authority members from open list proportional representation to a mixed electoral system whereby 70% of members would be elected using first past the post voting and the remaining 30% through closed list proportional representation. In February 2016 Parliament passed Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 1 of 2016 requiring 25% of candidates at local elections to be female. Small parties and those representing ethnic parties complained that
1088-729: The Middle Indian Prakrits that had been used during the time of the Buddha . The most closely related languages are the Vedda language (an endangered, indigenous creole still spoken by a minority of Sri Lankans, mixing Sinhala with an isolate of unknown origin and from which Old Sinhala borrowed various aspects into its main Indo-Aryan substrate), and the Maldivian language . It has two main varieties, written and spoken, and
1152-799: The Municipal Councils Ordinance , 44 amendments to the Urban Councils Ordinance , 23 Amendments to the Town Councils Ordinance and 49 amendments to the Village Committees Ordinance . The 1979 Tennakoon Commission recommended that District Development Councils (DDC) be established to carry out development functions currently carried out by the Central Government. The District Councils Act No. 35 of 1980
1216-557: The President's House, Colombo , demanding his immediate resignation. Protesters also broke into the Presidential Secretariat and Temple Trees , the prime minister's official residence, and gathered around the private residence at 115 Fifth Lane of Wickremesinghe. The speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka issued a statement that night that Rajapaksa would resign from office on 13 July. Political parties including
1280-585: The Rajapaksa family . The party was formed as a result of a split from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a centre-left , Sinhalese nationalist , and post-colonial party. The SLPP borrowed some elements of the SLFP ideology but not its economic outlook, and is opposed to federalism in Sri Lanka . The party is led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president of Sri Lanka . Sagara Kariyawasam
1344-499: The Samagi Jana Balawegaya ) became more supportive of welfare . Uyangoda described the SLPP as "a right wing, neo-conservative party that favours authoritarianism", and commented: "Though ironically created by the SLFP, the SLPP doesn't replace it, it merely displaces it. The SLPP will undoubtedly tread a free market-oriented path but have Mahinda Rajapaksa to disguise its policy in state-capitalist rhetoric." Ahead of
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#17327719902541408-587: The UNESCO National Commission of Ceylon According to Wilhelm Geiger , Sinhala has features that set it apart from other Indo-Aryan languages. Some of the differences can be explained by the substrate influence of the parent stock of the Vedda language . Sinhala has many words that are only found in Sinhala, or shared between Sinhala and Vedda and not etymologically derivable from Middle or Old Indo-Aryan. Possible examples include kola for leaf in Sinhala and Vedda (although others suggest
1472-464: The 13th century CE, recognised a category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhala. The grammar lists naram̆ba (to see) and koḷom̆ba (fort or harbour) as belonging to an indigenous source. Koḷom̆ba is the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo . The consistent left branching syntax and the loss of aspirated stops in Sinhala is attributed to a probable South Dravidian substratum effect. This has been explained by
1536-692: The 2018 local elections, 29.1% of councillors were female, up from 1.9% in 2011. Local authorities don't derive their powers from an individual source but from numerous Acts and Ordinances. The main Acts relating to local government are the Municipal Council Ordinance No. 29 of 1947 , the Urban Councils Ordinance No. 61 of 1939 and the Pradeshiya Sabha Act No. 15 of 1987 . As a consequence,
1600-646: The 2019 elections, Deshika Elapata, a junior researcher of the European Institute for Asian Studies, described the SLPP as "a socially right-wing and economically left-wing party rooted in Sinhalese nationalism and social democracy". Sinhala language Sinhala ( / ˈ s ɪ n h ə l ə , ˈ s ɪ ŋ ə l ə / SIN -hə-lə, SING -ə-lə ; Sinhala: සිංහල , siṁhala , [ˈsiŋɦələ] ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( / ˌ s ɪ n ( h ) ə ˈ l iː z , ˌ s ɪ ŋ ( ɡ ) ə ˈ l iː z / SIN -(h)ə- LEEZ , SING -(g)ə- LEEZ ),
1664-560: The 2024 presidential election. He was the youngest candidate in the election. Rajapaksa was eliminated after the first vote count, placing 4th behind Anura Kumara Dissanayake , Sajith Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe and winning only 2.57% of the popular vote. From the election results so far it is apparent that the NPP is on the threshold of obtaining a two-thirds majority in Parliament , or fall slightly short. The SLPP managed to secure only 3 seats including one bonus seat (national list) in
1728-716: The Eastern Prakrits prior to this change. He cites the edicts of Ashoka , no copy of which shows this sound change. An example of an Eastern feature is the ending -e for masculine nominative singular (instead of Western -o ) in Sinhalese Prakrit. There are several cases of vocabulary doublets , one example being the words mæssā ("fly") and mækkā ("flea"), which both correspond to Sanskrit makṣikā but stem from two regionally different Prakrit words macchiā (Western Prakrits) and makkhikā (as in Eastern Prakrits like Pali ). In 1815,
1792-770: The Free Trade Zones in Katunayake and Koggala which are governed by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. In January 2011 there were a number of changes to local authorities, taking the total number to 335: two urban councils were promoted to municipal councils (Bandarawela, Hambantota), one divisional council was promoted to municipal council (Kaduwela), one divisional council was promoted to urban council (Eravur), two new municipal councils were created (Akkaraipattu, Dambulla) and two new divisional councils were created (Lunugala, Narammala). Millaniya Divisional Council
1856-682: The Governor. The Local Boards Ordinance No. 13 of 1898 created Local Health and Sanitation Boards for larger towns. Their composition and powers were similar to the Sanitary Boards. The Local Health and Sanitation Boards started functioning on 1 September 1899. The Local Government Ordinance No. 11 of 1920 created three types of local authorities: Urban District Councils (UDC), Rural District Councils and General Councils. Previous local authorities had been mostly appointed but these new authorities were elected. Two UDCs were created in 1922 and
1920-620: The OSLFF relaunched itself as the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a political front for the Joint Opposition , and appointed G. L. Peiris , the country's former minister of foreign affairs and Rajapaksa ally, as its chairman. Attorney Sagara Kariyawasam , a former organizer of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and attorney for former president Rajapaksa and his brother, former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa ,
1984-578: The Parliament through the results of the 2024 Election. The number of total votes obtained by the SLPP, once the largest party in Parliament from 2020 to 2024, was only 350,429 (3.14%) in this year’s parliamentary poll. If the NPP gets a two-thirds majority, it is the first time under the Proportional Representation system that one party has got a two thirds majority in Parliament. In 2010 the United People's Freedom Alliance and in 2020
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2048-645: The Public Works Department. The Municipal Council Ordinance No. 17 of 1865 transferred responsibility for some local administration to local residents. The Municipal Councils consisted of elected and appointed members. Under the ordinance Municipal Councils were created for Colombo and Kandy . Reforms enacted in 1931 resulted in all members of Municipal Councils being elected. The Village Communities Ordinance No. 26 of 1871 introduced Village Committees for local administration and Rural Courts for judicial administration. The ordinance allowed
2112-577: The Rajapaksa family won seats in the parliament, and the former president Rajapaksa was sworn in as the new prime minister of Sri Lanka . The Rajapaksa administration introduced massive tax cuts in late 2019, which lead to a drop in government revenue that was soon compounded with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the island nation losing its lucrative US$ 3 billion tourism industry that put 200,000 out of work in 2020 and most of 2021. Although
2176-409: The Rajapaksa family. On 3 April, several ministers in the second Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet submitted their resignations. This included three ministers from the Rajapaksa family: Chamal Rajapaksa , Basil Rajapaksa , and Namal Rajapaksa . The president was to announce the new cabinet the following day. On 18 April, Rajapaksa appointed 17 new cabinet members, selected among his party members. This move
2240-461: The SLPP fell just short of a two thirds and had to get the support of some opposition members to get a two thirds majority. The SLPP split from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a centre-left , Sinhalese nationalist , and post-colonial party, which political scientist Jayadeva Uyangoda described as "a progressive, social democratic, centre-left political party, that made tremendous contribution to social change and democracy". The SLPP borrowed
2304-456: The SLPP was held, in which Mahinda Rajapaksa was reappointed as the party leader. In 2024, there was much speculation whether the SLPP would field its own candidate or endorse incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe at the 2024 presidential election . In late July 2024, the SLPP announced that it would not endorse Wickremesinghe in the election. On 7 August 2024, the SLPP announced Namal Rajapaksa , son of Mahinda Rajapaksa, as its candidate in
2368-681: The chronicle Mahāvaṃsa , written in Pali, Prince Vijaya of the Vanga Kingdom and his entourage merged in Sri Lanka with later settlers from the Pandya kingdom . In the following centuries, there was substantial immigration from Eastern India, including additional migration from the Vanga Kingdom (Bengal), as well as Kalinga and Magadha . This influx led to an admixture of features of Eastern Prakrits. The development of Sinhala
2432-472: The collection of revenue. When Ceylon achieved independence in 1948 local authorities consisted of Municipal Councils (3), Urban Councils, Town Councils and Village Committees. The Local Authorities Enlargement of Powers Act No. 8 of 1952 transferred some powers from Central Government to local authorities and granted new powers to Urban Councils. In the thirty years after independence, local authorities received more and more powers. There were 40 amendments to
2496-404: The control of the Central Government. Prior to 1987 local authorities were elected using the first-past-the-post voting system with each member representing a ward . The Local Authorities (Amendment) Act Nos. 20 and 24 of 1987 changed the method of electing all local authority members from first-past-the-post to proportional representation using open lists . In 2012 the electoral system
2560-417: The country's opposition agreed to form an all-party interim government after the president's resignation. Wickremesinghe also announced that he would be willing to resign as prime minister, saying that he would do so once a new government was formed. On the morning of 13 July, Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka and appointed Wickremesinghe as acting president in his absence. Rajapaksa emailed a letter of resignation to
2624-405: The country. 27 Urban Councils created. The Town Councils Ordinance No. 3 of 1946 created Town Councils for small towns. 24 Town Councils were created by abolishing all the Sanitary Boards and Local Health and Sanitation Boards that existed at that time. The Town Councils were divided into wards and provided local services such as thoroughfares, public health, common amenities, physical planning and
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2688-476: The country. Geeganage contested in the 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election and came in last place, at 19th, after securing 1,826 votes (0.02%). In 2015, the SLNF changed its name to Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front (Ape Sri Lanka Nidahas Peramuna) and its symbol from the cricket bat to a flower bud . In early 2016, OSLFF leader Geeganage hinted that a change in the party leadership was soon to come. In November 2016,
2752-493: The creation of wards and the exclusion of local chiefs from being members. Village Committees could now collect land tax and provide local services such as roads, water supply, common amenities and public health. The Sanitary Boards Ordinance No. 18 of 1892 created bodies to provide a number of public health services such as electricity, drainage, public conveniences, markets, dairies, laundries and water supply in small towns. The Sanitary Boards consisted of officials appointed by
2816-487: The election under its flower bud symbol. In the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election , the younger brother of the Rajapaksas contested in the elections as the SLPP candidate and later won the election and was sworn in as the new president of Sri Lanka . In the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election , the SLPP won a landslide victory and a clear majority in the parliament, winning 116 seats in Parliament. Five members of
2880-631: The elements of nationalism from the SLFP but not its economic outlook. The party is opposed to federalism in Sri Lanka . In 2019, the SLPP began to outperform the SLFP, which did not field a candidate in the 2019 presidential election . The split and rightward turn of the SLPP, which moved towards neo-nationalism and right-wing populism , corresponded with the shifts of the nation's two other major parties: Anura Kumara Dissanayake 's leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna moved closer to social democracy and democratic socialism , while Sajith Premadasa 's free-market oriented United National Party (and later
2944-479: The export sector picked up by 2021 and tourism started picking up, it appeared that Sri Lanka was facing its most severe economic crisis since its independence in 1948 due to the loss of revenue from tax cuts, rampant money printing and unsustainable borrowings. By end of 2021, Sri Lanka was facing a debt crisis with a possibility of sovereign default . According to a poll conducted by Verité Research in March 2022,
3008-484: The fact that other state institutions (such as the District Secretary ) enjoy similar powers as the local authority. Local authorities are required to "provide for the comfort, convenience and well being of the community". Laws require local authorities to carry out regulatory and administrative functions, promote public health and provide physical structures. Local authorities can only provide services that
3072-550: The features that may be traced to Dravidian influence are: ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නවා dannavā know ඒක අලුත් කියලා මම දන්නවා ēka aḷut kiyalā mama dannavā it new having-said I know "I know that it is new." ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new ද da Q කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නේ Local government in Sri Lanka Local government
3136-593: The form, structure and national policy on local government remained with the Central Government. This meant that only the Central Government could create new local authorities, promote them, dissolve them and call an election. In 1995 a Divisional Council was created for Biyagama which had previously been governed by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. In 1997 Moratuwa and Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Urban Councils were promoted to Municipal Councils. As of 199 there were 309 local authorities (14 MC, 37 UC, 258 DC). All parts of Sri Lanka are governed by local authorities except
3200-439: The government's approval rating had fallen to just 10% as a result of the crisis. Following severe shortages of fuel, the state owned Ceylon Electricity Board was forced to implement 10–13 hour power cuts across the island in late March. The SLPP government was beginning to grow increasingly unpopular. This triggered the 2022 Sri Lankan protests , which demanded the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and other key officials from
3264-550: The island of Ceylon came under British rule . During the career of Christopher Reynolds as a Sinhalese lecturer at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London , he extensively researched the Sinhalese language and its pre-1815 literature. The Sri Lankan government awarded him the Sri Lanka Ranjana medal for his work. He wrote the 377-page An anthology of Sinhalese literature up to 1815 , selected by
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#17327719902543328-566: The law specifically allows them to do. Services provided by local authorities include roads, drains, parks, libraries, housing, waste collection, public conveniences, markets and recreational facilities. Sri Lanka's local authorities do not run schools, hospitals or the police. State schools , hospitals , and police service are run by the Central Government or Provincial Councils. Water, electricity , street lighting and rest houses used to be provided by local authorities but these services were taken over by various companies and departments under
3392-473: The method of electing all local authority members from the first past the post using wards to proportional representation using open lists . 257 Divisional Councils started functioning on 1 January 1988. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution transferred the control and supervision of local government from Central Government to the newly created Provincial Councils . However, powers relating to
3456-410: The new mixed electoral system put them at a disadvantage and as a result the government agreed to change the ratio between first past the post and proportional representation. On 25 August 2017 Parliament passed Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 16 of 2017 which, amongst things, changed the ratio between first past the post and proportional representation from 70:30 to 60:40. After
3520-450: The other members of the Village Councils. The local government saw a number of developments in the late 19th century. The Road Committees Act No 10 of 1861 created Provincial Road Committees and District Road Committees to administer the country's public roads. The committees consisted of government officials, appointed members and elected members. The Road Committees functioned between 1861 and 1951 when their functions were transferred to
3584-622: The other. In 1818 the Village Councils were abolished by the British rulers of Ceylon . The Colebrooke-Cameron Commission of 1833 recommended that some form of village committee system should be introduced. The Paddy Lands and Irrigation Ordinance No. 9 of 1856 re-introduced the Village Councils to oversee agriculture and irrigation. The Village Councils were chaired by the British-appointed Government Agent or Assistant Government Agent who in turn appointed
3648-696: The same time, 83 Town Councils and 549 Village Committees were abolished. The DDCs didn't live up to expectations and a new form of local government was sought. The Wanasinghe Committee recommended that the DDC's be abolished and replaced by Divisional Councils ( Pradeshiya Sabha or Pradesha Sabhai ), sometimes called Rural Councils or Regional Councils. Parliament passed the Pradeshiya Sabha Act No. 15 of 1987 on 15 April 1987. The Divisional Councils were generally commensurate with their namesake Divisional Secretariats (Assistant Government Agent). The Local Authorities (Amendment) Act Nos. 20 and 24 of 1987 also changed
3712-404: The speaker of the parliament on 14 July the next day, thus marking the end of Rajapaksa's presidency. The news of his resignation was celebrated by the public mainly at Galle Face and also in the other parts of Colombo. On 15 July, the parliamentary speaker Mahinda Yapa Abewardhana announced the official resignation of Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe was officially sworn in as the acting president, and
3776-415: The three different types of local authorities have slightly different powers. Municipal Councils have more powers than Urban Councils and Divisional Councils. Local authorities have the power to instigate legal action, enter into contracts, acquire land and employ staff. However, these powers are somewhat curtailed by the fact that they are subordinate to the Central Government and Provincial Councils and by
3840-493: Was appointed as the party secretary. The flower bud remained as the symbol of the party. Basil Rajapaksa , another brother of Rajapaksa, joined the SLPP shortly after it was relaunched. In the 2018 Sri Lankan local elections , in a surprise result, the SLPP won a 40% plurality of votes, emerging as the party with the most councilors and local authorities; they won 239 Local Government Bodies including Municipals Councils, Urban Councils, and Pradeshiya Sabhas. The SLPP contested in
3904-743: Was created from parts of Bandaragama Divisional Council in October 2012. Thamankaduwa Divisional Council was split into Polonnaruwa Municipal Council and Polonnaruwa Pradeshiya Sabha in December 2016. In November 2017 Maskeliya Divisional Council and Norwood Divisional Council were created from parts of Ambagamuwa Divisional Council, and Agarapathana Divisional Council and Kotagala Divisional Council were created from parts of Nuwara Eliya Divisional Council. As of November 2017 there were 341 local authorities (24 municipal councils, 41 urban councils and 276 divisional councils). On 10 October 2012 Parliament passed
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#17327719902543968-472: Was later elected in the 2022 Sri Lankan presidential election by the Parliament of Sri Lanka to complete the remainder of Rajapaksa's term. During the 2022 Sri Lankan presidential election, Dinesh Gunawardena temporarily succeeded Mahinda Rajapaksa as the de facto leader of the SLPP. Gunawardena would later become Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. On 15 December 2023, the National Convention of
4032-536: Was passed by Parliament and 24 DDCs created. The DDCs consisted of elected members and local Members of Parliament. District Ministers were also created. In addition, legislation was passed to abolish the Town Councils and Village Committees and to transfer their functions to the new DDCs. This last move was opposed by the Tennakoon Commission. The 24 DDCs started functioning on 1 July 1981. At
4096-492: Was seen as a sign of Rajapaksa's lack of willingness to listen and adhere to the protesters' demands. On 9 May, Rajapaksa tendered his resignation as prime minister to the president. Rajapaksa was heavily criticised by netizens and the public for resigning after instigating violence against peaceful protests. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the new prime minister on 12 May. Eventually, protests peaked on 9 July, after large numbers of protesters gathered at Chatham Street, near
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