COLOMBO, July 15, a Reuter: Sri Lanka’s ruling United National Party won three of four Parliamentary by elections, elections officials said on Friday.

In Thursday’s voting, the Party won the constituencies of Kekirawe, Katugampola and Welimade and lost Ratnapura to the main opposition freedom party of former Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike.

‘The seats fell vacant when the incumbent ruling party members. Resigned to contest provincial counsel elections earlier this year.

The Welimade election was marred by a bomb attack on a police patrol after polling ended. Police said two officers were wounded when a bomb was thrown at their jeep.

Police are also investigating reports that a Member of Parliament had opened fire in Ranapura.

“He was probably firing in the air to frighten opposition supports, a police spokesman said.

Political analysis said the win was a vote of confidence in President Junius Jayewardene’s 11yearold government with elections and a Presidential election due to be held in the next 12 months,

Jayewardene has been criticized for his handling of a five year old rebellion by Tamil guerrillas fighting for a separate state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka and Marxist guerrilla group active in the South of the island.

Winning the Ratnapura seat by a majority of 4,785 was little consolation to the freedom party, analysts said,

The ruling party won comfortably at Katugampola by 27,415 votes to 24,547 polled by the freedom party. It won by slim majorities of 361 votes at Kekirawe and 1,050 votes at Welimade.

“The win considerably strengthens Jayewardene’s hand and paves the way for provincial council meeting in the North and East,” one analyst said.

 

The President’s party comfortably won council elections held in seven provinces in the past two months. Elections in the northern and eastern provinces have been delayed because of poor security.

The provincial council’s scheme is a key element in an agreement signed last July by Jayewardene and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to end the Tamil rebellion.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 22, 1988

Article extracted from this publication >>