Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa greets supporters after landslide victory in the Local Government Election, February 12, 2018. NurPhoto/Press Association. All rights reserved. Sri Lanka celebrates its seventieth year of independence in 2018 in a country where ethnicity has been a deadly factor, and local elections can turn violent. This year’s election, held on 10 February, however, has been one of the most peaceful the country has known. The turnout was over 75%, which shows that people are keen on exercising their right to vote.
The current government attributes the nonviolent character of the election to a new election system. As Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, of the United National Party (UNP), explained: "the reason is that the most competitive and conflicting preferential voting system that was in the previous elections is not seen in the new system we introduced.”
I have just cast my vote in today’s local elections. I urge all voting today, to do so peacefully and respectfully. pic.twitter.com/9bX3DrCprA
