The Hindu : International : Small parties hold centre stage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 07, 2004

International

International

Small parties hold centre stage

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO, APRIL 6. With Sri Lanka's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), which emerged as the single largest party in the April 2 Parliamentary polls, falling short of eight seats to form a majority government, the role of smaller political parties representing Tamils and Muslims has become central.

he UPFA, an electoral combine of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), won 105 seats in the 225-member Parliament. Despite a sweep at the electoral division level, with a 45.6 per cent of the popular mandate, the UPFA failed to reach a simple majority under the Proportionate Representation system.

Among the smaller political parties in the 13th Parliament, which will meet on April 22, the Jathika Hela Urumaya, comprising Buddhist monks, has nine MPs, the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), representing the plantation Tamils, eight seats — the exact number required to convert the UPFA to a majority government — and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) five MPs.

In addition two single-MP parties, the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and the Upcountry People's Front (UPF) are the other smaller parties in Parliament.

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