Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance

Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance

ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පොදුජන සන්ධානය
ஶ்ரீ லங்கா பொதுஜன சுதந்திர கூட்டமைப்பு
Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පොදුජන සන්ධානය; ஶ்ரீ லங்கா பொதுஜன சுதந்திர கூட்டமைப்பு
Abbreviation	SLPFA
Leader	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Chairperson	Maithripala Sirisena
General Secretary	Basil Rajapaksa
Founded	31 October 2019 (4 years ago)
Dissolved	5 April 2022 (2 years ago)
Preceded by	United People's Freedom Alliance
Succeeded by	Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (Pro-Rajapaksa faction); People's Alliance (Anti-Rajapaksa faction)
Ideology	Big tent; Factions:; Social democracy; Socialism; Communism; Sinhalese nationalism; Anti-federalism; Anti-imperialism
Political position	Big tent; Factions:; Centre-left to far-left
Parliament	106 / 225
Website
	podujanasandanaya.org; podujanaalliance.org
	Politics of Sri Lanka; Political parties; Elections;

The Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance (abbreviated SLPFA; Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පොදුජන සන්ධානය, romanized: Śrī Laṃkā Nidahas Podujana Sandhānaya; Tamil: ஶ்ரீ லங்கா பொதுஜன சுதந்திர கூட்டமைப்பு, romanized: Śrī laṅkā Potujaṉa Cutantira Kūṭṭamaippu) was a political alliance led by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna formed in 2019. Initially, the alliance consisted of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and fifteen smaller parties.

Since 5 April 2022, the alliance has been functionally dissolved, after many of the SLPP's former allies left the SLFPA to join the opposition amidst the Sri Lankan economic crisis and 2022 Sri Lankan political crisis.

History edit

On 31 October, 2019, seventeen parties including the SLPP and SLFP signed an agreement at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo to form the Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance.^[7]^[8] The seventeen parties included:^[9]^[10]

The alliance supported SLPP candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the 2019 presidential election.^[11]^[12] It had planned to contest the 2020 parliamentary election under the chair symbol, the symbol of a previous SLFP-led alliance, the People's Alliance.^[13]^[14] However, in February 2020 the alliance chose to contest the election under the flower bud symbol of the SLPP.^[15]^[16]

On 5 April 2022, amidst the Sri Lankan economic crisis and 2022 Sri Lankan political crisis, many of the SLPP's former allies left the SLFPA to join the opposition.

Electoral history edit

Sri Lanka Parliamentary Elections
Election year	Votes	Vote %	Seats won	+/–	Leader	Result for the party
2020	6,853,690	59.09%	145 / 225	50	Mahinda Rajapaksa	Government

Sri Lanka Presidential Elections
Election year	Candidate	Votes	Vote %	Result
2019	Gotabaya Rajapaksa	6,924,255	52.25%	Won

Notes edit

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Left the alliance in 2022.

References edit

^ ^a ^b ^c Pothmulla, Lahiru (17 February 2020). "SLPP, SLFP to contest polls from Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Sandanaya". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^ "BUSINESS TODAY -I Believe in the SLFP". businesstoday.lk.
^ "Re-nationalizing: New economic policy".
^ Perera, Jehan. "Prevent Vicious Cycle From Re-Emerging After Election". peace-srilanka.org. The National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
^ "The Politics of Demonizing Federalism and Depicting It as Separatism". Colombo, Sri Lanka: Daily Mirror. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^ "Paradox of Pohottuwa's anti-Americanism with US soft diplomacy in Lankan politics". Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Sunday Times. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^ "Agreement signed to form Podujana Nidahas Sandhanaya". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^ "31 October 2019". Ada Derana. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019.
^ Pothmulla, Lahiru (31 October 2019). "Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance formed". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^ "17 parties ink agreement to form SLPFA". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^ Senarathna, Nuwan (1 November 2019). "Sixteen political parties back GR". Daily FT. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^ "SLFP-SLPP coalition, Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Alliance formed". News First. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^ "Gota to receive 6.5 million votes through SLFP - SLPP alliance : Dayasiri". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^ Ferdinando, Shamindra (31 October 2019). "Coalition formed to contest 2020 general election under Chair symbol Gotabaya inks pact with large grouping". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^ Senarathne, Nuwan (18 February 2020). "SLPP-SLFP submit application to register coalition". Daily FT. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^ Mudalige, Disna (17 February 2020). "SLPP and SLFP to contest general election under new alliance". Daily News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 February 2020.

External links edit

[former-11] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Left the alliance in 2022.

[DM170220-1] Pothmulla, Lahiru (17 February 2020). "SLPP, SLFP to contest polls from Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Sandanaya". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 February 2020.

[2] "BUSINESS TODAY -I Believe in the SLFP". businesstoday.lk.

[3] "Re-nationalizing: New economic policy".

[4] Perera, Jehan. "Prevent Vicious Cycle From Re-Emerging After Election". peace-srilanka.org. The National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 30 March 2018.

[5] "The Politics of Demonizing Federalism and Depicting It as Separatism". Colombo, Sri Lanka: Daily Mirror. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

[6] "Paradox of Pohottuwa's anti-Americanism with US soft diplomacy in Lankan politics". Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Sunday Times. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

[7] "Agreement signed to form Podujana Nidahas Sandhanaya". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

[8] "31 October 2019". Ada Derana. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019.

[9] Pothmulla, Lahiru (31 October 2019). "Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance formed". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

[10] "17 parties ink agreement to form SLPFA". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

[12] Senarathna, Nuwan (1 November 2019). "Sixteen political parties back GR". Daily FT. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

[13] "SLFP-SLPP coalition, Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Alliance formed". News First. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

[14] "Gota to receive 6.5 million votes through SLFP - SLPP alliance : Dayasiri". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

[15] Ferdinando, Shamindra (31 October 2019). "Coalition formed to contest 2020 general election under Chair symbol Gotabaya inks pact with large grouping". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

[16] Senarathne, Nuwan (18 February 2020). "SLPP-SLFP submit application to register coalition". Daily FT. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 February 2020.

[17] Mudalige, Disna (17 February 2020). "SLPP and SLFP to contest general election under new alliance". Daily News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 February 2020.

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