The opposition alliance, formed by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the political parties of the Joint Opposition, has scored a resounding victory at the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha elections, says Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Issuing a media release on the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha election today (12), he said the SLFP fielded a separate list in this election as it was held on the basis of nominations submitted at the beginning of 2018.

“But today, we have formed an alliance to ensure the victory of one candidate at the presidential elections,” he says.

“The opposition alliance has won all the wards in the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha. As a whole, the opposition alliance has won 69% of the valid votes cast. The UNP won only 24%. The JVP has not obtained anything more than their usual percentage of votes,” the Opposition Leader pointed out in his release.

He appreciated the people of Elpitiya for defeating the “attempt made by the government to retain power by deceiving the people through the distribution of land, jobs and all manner of material inducements”.

“I need not dwell on the disasters that have befallen this country after January 2015”, the Opposition Leader says, adding that the country’s economy is in a state of collapse at present.

“In the run-up to the Elpitiya election, the Department of Census and Statistics released the latest data indicating that unemployment had increased further. The economic growth rate is now about a third of what it was under my government. Businesses are struggling. The indebtedness of the country is at an all-time high,” the release continued.

Rajapaksa says this economic downturn that took place in this country after 2015 was entirely due to political reasons and that it was not a result of external or global factors.

“This situation can be remedied only through politics,” he stressed, adding that “it is the process that has now been set in motion by the people of Elpitiya.”

It was not only the economy that the Yahapalana Government destroyed but also the democratic system as well, Rajapaksa claims. The local government elections were delayed by nearly three years. They have brought about a situation where Provincial Council elections cannot be held at all. They went to courts and got a declared Parliamentary election halted. They tried their best to get the presidential elections put off,” he continued.

He went on to say that the Yahapalana Government even tried to prevent the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha election from taking place.

“They made every attempt possible to get the candidate of the opposition alliance knocked out of the race even before the presidential election was held,” the release added.

Rajapaksa emphasized that this era should be brought to an end and that the people of Elpitiya have fired the first salvo in this regard.

He also appealed to all supporters of the opposition alliance to savour this victory peacefully and without inconveniencing anyone.