Trincomalee Urban Council

Trincomalee Urban Council (TUC) is the local authority for the city of Trincomalee in eastern Sri Lanka.[1] TUC is responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. It has 12 members elected using the open list proportional representation system.

Trincomalee Urban Council
Type
Type
Local authority
Leadership
Chairman
Kanthasamy Selvarajah, TNA
since April 2011
Deputy Chairman
Senathirajah Siriskandarajah, TNA
since April 2011
Secretary
A. G. Devendra
Seats12
Elections
Last election
2011 Sri Lankan local government elections

History

Trincomalee was administered by a Local Board between 1884 and 1933.[2] Between 1933 and 1939 the city administered by a Local Development Board. The city was promoted to an Urban Council on 1 January 1940.[2] Trincomalee is one of the largest cities in Sri Lanka without municipality status. Cities and towns with much lower population than Trincomalee, such as Hambantota (home of President Mahinda Rajapaksa) and Akkaraipattu (home of Local Government Minister A. L. M. Athaullah), have been promoted to Municipal Council in 2011 but Trincomalee has been overlooked.

Election results

1983 local government election

Results of the local government election held on 18 May 1983:[3]

Alliances and partiesVotes%Seats
 Tamil United Liberation Front 10,94069.58%9
 United National Party 2,54216.17%2
 Sri Lanka Freedom Party 2,13513.58%1
 All Ceylon Tamil Congress 1060.67%0
Valid Votes 15,723100.00%12
Rejected Votes 77
Total Polled 15,800
Registered Electors 24,529
Turnout 64.41%

Point Pedro didn't have an elected local government for sporadic periods, this was due to various reasons.[4] Aljazeera, the Asiafoundation and the Daily Mirror attribute this to civil war;[5][6] Reuters and the US State Department attribute this to calls for election boycotts by the LTTE (enforced with brutal reprisals for non-compliance)[7][8] and the Tamilnet attribute it to The Sri Lankan government's suspension of all local government in the north and east of the country in 1983 using Emergency Regulations.[9] Trincomalee was administered by special commissioners until 1994 when local elections were held. The council was dissolved in 1999.[2] Special commissioners administered the city until the 2006 elections.

2006 local government election

Results of the local government election held on 30 March 2006:[10]

Alliances and partiesVotes%Seats
 Tamil National Alliance (ITAK, EPRLF (S), TELO) 16,36875.06%10
Independent (UPFA, UNP, SLMC, NESO) 4,28619.65%2
 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna 8954.10%0
 Eelam People's Democratic Party 2591.19%0
Valid Votes 21,808100.00%12
Rejected Votes 935
Total Polled 22,743
Registered Electors 36,961
Turnout 61.53%

The following candidates were elected:[11][12] Subramaniam Gowrimuhunthan (TNA), 6,115 preference votes (pv); Kanthasamy Selvarajah (TNA), 5,994 pv; Kandiah Thurairajah (TNA), 5,400 pv; Jeganathan Pulendraraj (TNA), 5,027 pv; Perumal Muniayandy (TNA), 2,717 pv; Sithiravelu Arudchelvam (TNA), 2,237 pv; Thandayuthapani Karikalan (TNA), 2,099 pv; Ratnasabapathy Navaratnarajah Varathan (TNA), 1,926 pv; Sultan Farook (Ind-UPFA), 1,650 pv; Abdul Hussein Sahul Hameed (TNA), 1,516 pv; Kanmany Amma Ratnavadivel (TNA), 1,294 pv; and Nahoor Noor Mohamed (Ind-UNP), 1,286 pv.

Subramaniam Gowrimuhunthan (TNA) and Kanthasamy Selvarajah (TNA) were appointed Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively.[13]

The term of the council was due to expire in 2010 but on 22 December 2009 Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils Janaka Bandara Tennakoon extended it until 31 March 2011.[14]

Subramaniam Gowrimuhunthan (TNA) and Kanmany Amma Ratnavadivel (TNA) were suspended from their party for contesting the 2010 parliamentary election for the Tamil National People's Front (against the TNA).[15] Subramaniam Gowrimuhunthan (TNA) was subsequently removed from the Chairmanship in August 2010 and replaced by Kanthasamy Selvarajah (TNA).[16]

2011 local government election

Results of the local government election held on 17 March 2011:[17]

Alliances and partiesVotes%Seats
 Tamil National Alliance (ITAK, EPRLF (S), TELO, PLOTE, TULF, TNLA) 11,60159.43%8
 United People's Freedom Alliance (SLFP, EPDP, et al.) 4,13721.19%2
 United National Party 2,04410.47%1
 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna 5192.66%1
All Lanka Tamil United Front 4632.37%0
Independent 1 4192.15%0
Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal 3271.68%0
Independent 2 100.05%0
Valid Votes 19,520100.00%12
Rejected Votes 560
Total Polled 20,080
Registered Electors 31,927
Turnout 62.89%

The following candidates were elected:[18] Sithiravelu Arudchelvam (TNA); Dharmarasa Gowrimuhunthan (TNA); P. W. Susantha Jayalath (JVP); Kalirajah Kokulraj (TNA); Galappaththige Saman Kumara (UPFA); Nahoor Noor Mohamed (UPFA); Sivasubramaniam Nandakumar (TNA); Saboordeen Sanoon (UNP); Nagalingam Satheeskanna (TNA); Konamalai Saththiyaseelarajah (TNA); Kanthasamy Selvarajah (TNA); and Senathirajah Siriskandarajah (TNA).

Kanthasamy Selvarajah of TNA and Senathirajah Siriskandarajah of TNA were appointed Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively.

References
  1. "Trincomalee Urban Council". Government of Sri Lanka.
  2. Gurunathan, Sinniah (2 April 2006). "TNA gets important councils in EP".
  3. Sarveswaran, K. (2005). The Tamil United Liberation Front: Rise and Decline of a Moderate Ethnic Party in Sri Lanka (1976–2000). Jawaharal Nehru University.
  4. Lanka cannot afford to despise UN system
  5. In Northern Sri Lanka, Local Governments Prepare for Post-War Development
  6. Sri Lankans vote in local elections
  7. Sri Lanka's war-weary north votes amid intimidation, mistrust
  8. US State Department
  9. "TNA urges PM to put off NE local polls". TamilNet. 11 September 2002. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  10. "Local Authorities Election 2006 Final Results Trincomalee Urban Council". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  11. "PART IV (B) — LOCAL GOVERNMENT Notices under the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES ELECTIONS ORDINANCE (CHAPTER 262)" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. 1440/11. 10 April 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2013.
  12. "Tamil, Muslim candidates elected to Trincomalee UC". TamilNet. 31 March 2006.
  13. "ITAK administration in Trinco UC begins". TamilNet. 20 April 2006.
  14. "Extraordinary Gazette No. 1633/09" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Government of Sri Lanka. 23 December 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2011.
  15. "3 ITAK members in Trincomalee file petition against expulsion from the party". TamilNet. 3 August 2010.
  16. "PART IV (A) - PROVINCIAL COUNCILS Provincial Councils Notifications EASTERN PROVINCE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. 1666/28. 11 August 2010.
  17. "Local Authorities Election - 17.03.2011 Trincomalee District Trincomalee Urban Council". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  18. "PART IV (B) — LOCAL GOVERNMENT Notices under the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance (Chapter 262) LOCAL AUTHORITY ELECTIONS ORDINANCE" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. 1699/5. 28 March 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2011.
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