Sri Lanka

Parliament

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections

Background

Election date(s) The date when elections started and ended for directly or indirectly elected parliaments/chambers. The date of appointments for appointed parliaments/chambers.
05.08.2020
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature Date at which the previous legislature (elected at the previous elections) was dissolved.
02.03.2020
Timing of election Timing of election: Upon normal expiry; Early elections; Delayed elections
Early election
Expected date of next elections The expected date at which the next elections should take place, based on law or practice.
31.08.2026
Number of seats at stake Number of seats contested at the elections. Where the parliament/chamber is fully renewed, this number is usually identical to the statutory number of members. Where the parliament/chamber is partially renewed or appointed, the number of seats at stake is usually less than the total number of members.
225
Scope of elections Scope of elections: Full renewal; Partial renewal.
Full renewal

Voter turnout

Registration Number of people registered to vote
16,263,885
Votes Number of people who actually voted
12,343,302
Voter turnout The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of people who actually voted by the number of people registered to vote
75.89%

Results

About the election Short description of the context and results of the election.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and its allies took a total of 150 seats (see note 1), thereby securing a two-thirds majority in the 225-member Parliament. Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB, see note 2), an opposition party led by Mr. Sajith Premadasa , came a distant second, winning 54 seats. On 9 August, the President’s elder brother and former President, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, was sworn in as Prime Minister for the fourth time.

The 2020 elections were the first to be held under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (a former army colonel and secretary of defence), who defeated Mr. Sajith Premadasa (who was then representing the United National Party, UNP) in the November 2019 presidential elections. Later the same month, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa succeeded President Maithripala Sirisena (who himself had defeated Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015 presidential elections). UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe resigned as Prime Minister and was succeeded by Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The parliamentary elections, which were constitutionally due by 2021, were initially called for 25 April 2020 but postponed twice – to 20 June, then to 5 August – due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During election campaigning, the SLPP focused on security, referring to the April 2019 Easter bombings that killed more than 250 people.

Note 1: 
The SLPP allied with several political parties during the 2020 elections, The following parties won a total of five seats: Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), which took two seats; and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) and National Congress (NC), which each took one seat. The Cabinet formed after the 2020 elections comprises only the SLPP and the EPDP.

Note 2:
The SJB was officially formed in February 2020 after it split from the United National Party (UNP, led by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe) following the 2019 presidential elections.
Number of parties winning seats The number of parties which won parliamentary representation in the given election.
15
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of seats won by the largest party by the number of seats at stake in the election.
64.44%
Alternation of power after elections The results of the elections caused a change in the government. "Not applicable" to countries using the presidential system when parliamentary and presidential elections are held separately, to countries in political transition or where there is no party system.
Not applicable
Number of parties in government The government may be formed by one or more political parties
2
Names of parties in government The government may be formed by one or more political parties
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP)
Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political groups winning seats breakdown
Political group Total Constituency seats National seats
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) 145 128 17
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) 54 47 7
Lanka Tamil State Party (Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi, ITAK) 10 9 1
Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) 3 2 1
Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) 2 2 0
Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (AITC) 2 1 1
Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) 1 1 0
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) 1 1 0
Muslim National Alliance (MNA) 1 1 0
Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani (TMTK) 1 1 0
All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) 1 1 0
National Congress (NC) 1 1 0
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) 1 1 0
United National Party (UNP) 1 0 1
Our Power of People Party (OPPP) 1 0 1
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
211
Number of women elected
12
Percentage of women elected The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected in the election and the number of seats at stake at the election.
5.33%
Note on the Distribution of seats according to sex
There are two vacant seats.
Women Directly Elected
12

New legislature

Total number of men after the election The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
211
Total number of women after the election The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
12
First-term parliamentarians The number of members who are assuming their parliamentary mandate for the first time following the election or renewal, regardless of their mode of designation.
82
Date of the first session The date when the newly elected parliament/chamber was convened for the first time. It may be different from the date when members were sworn in.
20.08.2020
First Speaker of the new legislature
First Speaker of the new legislature First name of the Speaker of the new legislature following the election or renewal.
Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena (Male)
Political party
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)
Date of election
20.08.2020