The rise of new political parties shows that the major parties are facing divisions

Sri Lanka's Elections Commission has received an increase in applications of new political parties, signalling a rift in some of the major parties already in existence, with sources saying Sri Lanka had now bypassed India with the number of political parties registered in the country.

 

According to senior sources from the Elections Commission, Sri Lanka already has an estimated 70 political parties registered in the country, a number bypassing even the number of registered parties in India, and last year alone a further 200 applications were received out of which only five were accepted.

 

However, some new parties, including one in the north, whose application was rejected last year due to being unable to meet the minimum requirements have already applied again this year, ignoring the basic procedure of having to even wait for two years. The SLFP, a coalition partner of the government, who has already signalled they will contest solo in future elections including the provincial council elections, is facing a split in its lower ranks as one of its Pradeshiya Sabha members has put in an application to register a new party under the name 'Ilankai Tamilar Sudanthira Munnani'.

 

Sources said this application was made to register a new political party in the north, where the SLFP had already won a seat in the general elections.