As widely expected, the National People’s Power (NPP) emerged victorious at the just-concluded general election but even seasoned political analysts were left stunned by the sheer scale of the landslide victory. In fact, this was the first time that a party had recorded a two-thirds majority on its own after the Proportional Representation electoral system was introduced. A sequel to the triumph of its candidate President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential election held in September, this is a massive endorsement by the majority of voters of the NPP’s post-PE trajectory and program of work.
The NPP victory at the general election was a foregone conclusion, judging by the lacklustre campaign conducted by the other political parties which all argued for a “Strong Opposition”. The NPP victory, second time around, is a clear repudiation of traditional politics. For far too long, the country’s traditional political forces had banked on the gullibility of voters to reach the corridors of power.
The Aragalaya that emerged from the economic crisis of 2022 was an eye-opener in that it laid bare the unfettered corruption, rampant nepotism and economic mismanagement of traditional political parties and Governments they helmed. Only the NPP was able to harness the sentiments of the voters following the Aragalaya and channel them into a truly transformative Movement. After all, it was the only party not tainted by allegations of corruption and malpractices.
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