UPFA sweeps provincial council elections

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 16:19 GMT]
The ruling United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) took control of the administration of all six provincial councils, Central, Western, Southern, Sabragamuwa, Uva and North Central, which went for polls, Saturday, election department sources said.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) lost control of the Central Provincial Council (CPC) administration to the ruling UPFA by a narrow margin. The UPFA obtained two bonus seats allocated to it on the basis of securing majority seats and gained control of of CPC.

The UPFA won 28 seats, UNP 26 and Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) one seat. UPF is a UNP's ally. However with two bonus seats UPFA secured absolute majority, election sources said.

District wise results showed that of the fifteen electoral districts in six provinces the UPFA won fourteen districts and the UNP won only Nuwaraeliya, election department sources said.