1994 Sri Lankan parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 16 August 1994. They marked the decisive end of seventeen years of United National Party rule and a revival of Sri Lankan democracy.

1994 Sri Lankan parliamentary election

← 1989 16 August 1994 2000 →
← outgoing members elected members →
All 225 seats in the Parliament of Sri Lanka 113 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	76.24%
First party Second party   UNP Leader Chandrika Kumaratunga D. B. Wijetunga Party People's Alliance UNP Leader since 1994 1993 Leader's seat Gampaha District n/a Last election 31.90%, 67 seats[a] 50.92%, 125 seats Seats won 105 94 Seat change 38 31 Popular vote 3,887,823 3,498,370 Percentage 48.94% 44.04% Swing 17.04pp 6.88pp
Winners of polling divisions. PA in blue and UNP in green.
Prime Minister before election Ranil Wickremasinghe UNP Prime Minister-designate Chandrika Kumaratunga People's Alliance

Background

Democracy in Sri Lanka had seemed doomed as the presidencies of J.R. Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa arbitrarily banned opposition parties, severely muzzled the media, and routinely used death squads, torture, and kidnappings in the two civil conflicts against the LTTE and JVP. The UNP had simply cancelled the 1983 parliamentary elections; its control of the media led it to victory in the 1988 and 1989 elections.

The population was increasingly tired of war and repression, worn out with jingoistic Sinhalese nationalism, and wanted a return to freedom, peace, and democracy. Chandrika Kumaratunga, leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, formed a coalition with small leftist parties called the People's Alliance. This was in some ways a revival of her mother's coalition from the 1970s, but this time campaigning for rapprochement with the Tamils rather than their marginalization.

Results

The PA did not win a majority, but was able to govern with the support of the smaller parties.

Party		Votes	%	Seats
				District	National	Total
	People's Alliance[b]	3,887,823	48.94	91	14	105
	United National Party[c]	3,498,370	44.04	81	13	94
	Sri Lanka Muslim Congress	143,307	1.80	6	1	7
	Tamil United Liberation Front	132,461	1.67	4	1	5
	Sri Lanka Progressive Front[d]	90,078	1.13	1	0	1
	Mahajana Eksath Peramuna	68,538	0.86	0	0	0
	EROS–PLOTE–TELO[e]	38,028	0.48	3	0	3
	Up-Country People's Front[f]	27,374	0.34	1	0	1
	Eelam People's Democratic Party[g]	10,744	0.14	9	0	9
	Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front	9,411	0.12	0	0	0
	Nava Sama Samaja Party	2,094	0.03	0	0	0
	Bahujana Nidahas Peramuna	813	0.01	0	0	0
	Democratic Workers Congress	589	0.01	0	0	0
	Sinhalaye Mahasammatha Bhoomiputra Pakshaya	267	0.00	0	0	0
	Independents	33,809	0.43	0	0	0
Total		7,943,706	100.00	196	29	225
Valid votes		7,943,706	95.20
Invalid/blank votes		400,389	4.80
Total votes		8,344,095	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		10,945,065	76.24
Source: Electoral Commission

By province

Further information: Results of the 1994 Sri Lankan general election by province

By electoral district

Further information: Results of the 1994 Sri Lankan general election by electoral district

Elected members

Further information: 10th Sri Lankan Parliament

Legacy

The 1994 election did not live up to its great hopes. The PA government was unable to come to an agreement with the LTTE, and ended up prosecuting war just as brutally as its UNP predecessor. The Executive Presidency, which Kumaratunga had promised to abolish, remained as powerful as before.

Notes

1. As the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
2. Consisting of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Desha Vimukthi Janatha Party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya.
3. Including the Ceylon Workers' Congress.
4. Including the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.
5. Contested as TELO in Ampara District, Batticaloa District, Colombo District and Trincomalee District; as DPLF in Vanni District and as an independent group in Jaffna District.
6. Contested as an independent group in Nuwara Eliya District.
7. Contested as an independent group in Jaffna District.