The 2024 General Election saw a sweeping victory for the National People’s Power (NPP), led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, breaking multiple records in Sri Lanka’s electoral history. The NPP garnered 6,863,186 votes, the highest ever received by a political party in a general election, surpassing the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)’s 2020 total of 6,853,690 votes. This amounted to a record-breaking 61.56% of the total vote, exceeding the previous high of 60.33% set by the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in 2010.
Dominance Across Districts and Constituencies
The NPP claimed victory in 21 out of 22 electoral districts, losing only Batticaloa, and shattered the UPFA’s 2010 record of 19 district wins. The party also secured 152 constituencies, surpassing the UPFA’s 2010 record of 136.
Parliamentary Seats and Two-Thirds Majority
The NPP captured 159 parliamentary seats, including 141 district-level seats and 18 National List seats. This achievement marked the first time a single party has secured a two-thirds majority in Parliament under Sri Lanka’s proportional representation system, breaking the SLPP’s 2020 record of 145 total seats and 17 National List seats.
Unprecedented Preferential Vote Count
Vijitha Herath, running from the Gampaha District, made history with 716,715 preferential votes—the highest ever recorded by a candidate in Sri Lanka. This surpasses previous records held by Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2015 (500,566 votes), Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2020 (527,364 votes), and Harini Amarasuriya earlier in this election, who secured 655,289 votes from the Colombo District.
Increased Female Representation
The 2024 election also marked a milestone in female representation, with a record 21 women elected to Parliament, the highest in Sri Lanka’s history. Of these, 19 are from the NPP, including notable figures such as Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Kaushalya Ariyaratne, and Samanmali Gunasinghe. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) elected two female MPs: Rohini Kumari Wijeratne and Chamindrani Kiriella.
A Remarkable Rise from 3%
The NPP’s extraordinary ascent from just 3% of the vote in the previous general election signifies a dramatic shift in public sentiment, marking the first time in the country’s history that a party has achieved such a substantial increase in voter support.
