Analysing the Results

General Election 2010. In fact, so general that around 1/3 of the country didn’t bother to turn up at the polls. The remaining 2/3 who did turn up almost made sure that the UPFA would reach its target complex majority of 2/3 (it’s better than the simple majority of 113 seats). But unfortunately (for them), the UPFA will not be getting more than around 140 seats. The UNF suffered a crushing blow, unfortunately (for them). The DNA also failed to regain more that around 2/13 of their seats from 2004. Enough numbers! Lets discuss the names that we saw decorating the walls of our beloved country.

The highest manape in the island, or the highest preferential votes, have been obtained by 23-year old Namal Rajapakse. He breaks one record set by his father, and comes quite close to beating another. He entered parliament at an age one year younger than his father. He also happened to win the election two days before his birthday, but his father won the 2005 Presidential just one day before his birthday. Congratulations Namal ayya!

Then there is Wimal Weerawamsa who contested with the UPFA and got more preferential votes that Ranil Wickremasinghe. I believed that Ranil would get all the votes of green blooded Colombo elite, but evidently not. Or the Colombo 7 people have diminished (highly unlikely). I don’t know what happened to his once-mega voter base. Meanwhile, the UNP voter base does not seem to have lost much to the DNA. The DNA has also not lost much to the UNP. But both parties have lost greatly to the UPFA, giving them the Raja-pakshaya the overall victory in Colombo and (I think) all areas outside of the North.

The North is swept up by the BLU-TACK. Sorry, I meant ITAK. Last time they won the North with over 90% of the votes in each district. This time the UPFA has been victorious in cutting down the ITAK to around 50-60% in each area. But the UPFA has to thank Prabhakaran for dying and hence denying the ITAK of it’s vote rigging, or else they wouldn’t even be competing in the North.

The people of Kandy and Trincomalee are forced to vote again on the 20th because their first votes were cancelled. This is the work of a DNA member to protect the people’s right to elect their leader. I assume that he was genuine in his intentions, since the DNA stands no chance of getting a seat there anyway. Then again, they were the ones convinced that SF would win the presidential election.

That reminds me, General Fonny won a seat in Colombo under the DNA. His wife did not win though, from wherever she participated. Wow, the UPFA has really cut down the vote rigging… by anyone but themselves.

Cricket Superstar Sanath Jayasuriya is now Member Of Parliament Sanath Jayasuriya. But Olympic Silver Medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe will not be an MP. Other newcomers include Duminda Silva (media giant), Thilanga Sumathipala (telephone giant) and One Shot (actor). Older, more experienced and potentially more useful MPs such as Rohitha Bogollagama and Milinda Moragonda have been pushed out to make room. New generation of politicians and new era of politics?

I’ve been finding it pretty difficult to find proper listings of the candidates voted in. I compiled this post with the names I could remember, which aren’t much. But I do remember, gladly, that the circus is over and I won’t have to hear much about the politicians till the next round. I’m thinking that a lot of other Sri Lankans are with me on this.

Too much politics. Better change to some other subject.