Elections in Sri Lanka Victorious for Tamil National Alliance

"This shows the Government of Sri Lanka that they must work with the TNA to solve the problems amicably..." - Suresh Premachandran, TNA member of parliament

Logo for the Tamil National Alliance

(COLOMBO) - In a set-back for Sri Lanka's ruling party, the Tamil National Alliance has won a landslide victory in local elections, capturing 20 out of 25 seats it contested in areas formerly held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Tamil politicians in the north and east of the country said yesterday that the results had delivered them a mandate to pursue change, adding that the Government in Colombo should work towards delivering a genuine political settlement.

The Tamil National Alliance won 18 out of 26 councils in the local elections in the island's north and east coastal areas since the end of nearly four decades of ethnic conflict.

Another opposition Tamil party won two councils in the former war zone, according to results released by the elections department.

"We have announced the party positions in the councils, but the lists of individual candidates who have been elected to these councils will be known by tomorrow," an election official told AFP.

Many Tamils remain deeply skeptical of the government since the Genocide that culminated in the deaths of as many as 100,000 people or more sightly over two years ago. Tamils have long complained of discrimination at the hands of the country's Sinhala majority.

The TNA calls for greater political devolution for the north and east. Rajapaksa has already rejected demands for greater autonomy over issues such as the police and land management.

Suresh Premachandran, a TNA member of parliament, said last night the elections were seen incidents of intimidation, but that did not prevent the coalition from finding success.

Premachandran said, "The majority of the people support the TNA."

"This shows the Government of Sri Lanka that they must work with the TNA to solve the problems amicably. This means not just [bringing] development – people voted for a political settlement."

Attempting to increase support for a pro-government Tamil party, President Mahinda Rajapksa had campaigned aggressively in the north, promising to deliver on development promises.