Colombo Municipal Council Election: Tight Race for Mayoral Position

In the recently held election for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), National People's Power (Jathika Jana Balavegaya) emerged as the party with the highest number of seats. However, they were unable to secure the 50% of the vote share needed to secure the mayoral position. As a result, there will be an additional vote to decide the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for the Colombo Municipal Council.

The Colombo Municipal Council, which holds one of the most important positions among local government bodies in the country, has a total of 117 councilor seats. Of these, 48 seats were won by the National People's Power. However, since no single party or coalition secured over 50% of the seats, the position of Mayor is still up for contest.

Breakdown of the Council Seats

The 117 seats in the Colombo Municipal Council are divided as follows:

National People's Power (Jathika Jana Balavegaya): 48 seats

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB): 29 seats

United National Party (UNP): 13 seats

Sri Lanka People's Front (SLPP): 5 seats

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC): 4 seats

Independent Group No. 3: 3 seats

Sarva Jana Bala Party: 2 seats

Independent Groups No. 4 & No. 5: 2 seats each

Other smaller parties, including the National Freedom Front, People’s Front, Democratic National Alliance, and others, each have 1 seat.

Dharmasiri Nanayakkara, Executive Director of the Accountability Lab in Asia and former Deputy Provincial Commissioner, stated that while the expected number of council seats was 110, the number has increased to 117 based on this election's results.

Need for Another Vote to Select Mayor

As no party or alliance has won more than 50% of the seats, an additional vote will be required to elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The Provincial Election Commissioner will oversee the first meeting of the council, where the vote will take place.

“Since no party has secured more than 50% of the seats, the Provincial Election Commissioner must call for the first meeting of the council, where the nominations for the Mayor will be presented and voted on,” explained Dharmasiri Nanayakkara.

Risk of Losing the Mayor's Position for National People's Power

If opposition groups combine their votes, the National People's Power could lose the Mayor’s position. Nanayakkara warned that if all the opposition parties unite and propose a suitable candidate, they might gain enough votes to secure the position of Mayor.

“If the opposition parties join forces, and a strong candidate is nominated, the remaining members of the council could vote in favor of that candidate,” he said.

If several nominations are made, the voting process will continue until one candidate secures 50% or more of the vote share, Nanayakkara clarified.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya and UNP Forming an Alliance

In the bid to secure control of the Colombo Municipal Council, there is a fierce competition underway. Mujibur Rahuman, Member of Parliament for the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, stated that his party is working with other opposition groups to gain control of the council.

“We are trying to form a coalition with other opposition groups. They have 48 seats, and to gain control of the council, we need 60 seats,” Rahuman stated.

Rahuman also mentioned that Samagi Jana Balawegaya has secured support from the United National Party (UNP) to help gain control of the council.

National People's Power’s Stance

Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala has been vocal in asserting that the National People’s Power will definitely secure control of the Colombo Municipal Council.

“We have the largest group within the Colombo Municipal Council. No other coalition can rival us. While there might be some discussions between other members, we have the majority,” Watagala emphasized.

The Colombo Municipal Council has historically been under the control of the United National Party (UNP) for many years.

Mayoral Candidates and Future Contest

Vraye Kaley Balthisar, a member of the National People's Power, has been nominated as the Mayoral Candidate by the party. On the other side, Samagi Jana Balawegaya has nominated Dr. Ruwees Haneefa as their candidate for the Mayor’s post.

With the election for Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council still up for grabs, it is expected that there will be a tight race between the political parties. This battle is likely to result in further political manoeuvring and coalitions between the parties in the coming days.

Loss of the UNP 

The United National Party (UNP) has lost the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) after more than 50 years, as per the results of the 2025 Local Government elections, which are being released now.

The party won the CMC in 2011 when its rival the UPFA led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa won all other local government bodies in the country, just two years after the then government’s success in the Northern war.

An independent group backed by the UNP emerged victorious in 2006 after the former’s nomination papers for the CMC was rejected.