The United People's Freedom Alliance's domination of Sri Lankan elections continued as expected.
There was no overall control in the five remaining local authorities but the UPFA was the largest group in three, the UNP in one and the Up-Country People's Front in one.
[4][5] On 30 March 2011 the government announced that the term of 23 local authorities had been extended further until 31 December 2011 using Emergency Regulations.
[9] This left a total of 1,597 valid nominations (1,134 form registered political parties, 463 from independent groups).
Of the 148 rejected nominations from registered political parties, 36 came from the UPFA, 8 from the UNP, 6 from the SLMC, 2 from the TNA and 2 from the JVP.
[12] The rejections led to 68 writs being filed at the Court of Appeal (UPFA 35, UNP 9, SLMC 6, Independents 11, other parties 7).
[16] On 22 February 2011 it was announced that elections in two divisional councils in Mullaitivu District had also been postponed due most of their electors still being held in IDP camps at Menik Farm.
[17] On 11 March 2011 the election for Thunukkai Divisional Council in Mullaitivu District was also postponed for legal reasons.
[22] On 12 May 2011 the Court of Appeal ordered the Election Commissioner to accept 47 nomination papers which had been rejected.
[25] It was later announced that elections in two divisional councils in Mullaitivu District (Maritimepattu and Puthukkudiyirupp) had been postponed again due to delays in resettling internally displaced persons from the areas.
[30] The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance contested in 319 of the 322 local authorities, including two under the National Congress (a constituent party of the UPFA) name.
A number of smaller registered political parties and numerous independent groups also ran.
[31] As seen in other recent elections, much of the violence, including the three murders, has been caused by intra-party clashes between UPFA candidates.
He also lamented the legal challenges to the nomination rejections which had prevented elections taking place in 301 local authorities as originally intended.
There were reports of vote buying, intimidation by armed groups, grabbing of polling cards, election violations and a general fear psychosis in the north.
[37] Independent monitors observed blatant violations including open bribery and the transporting of party supporters to the wide abuse of state machinery and other resources, all in favour of the UPFA.
[37] Numerous UPFA government ministers and even the President visited the north during the election campaign, and very often they inaugurated new development projects.
The whole state machinery in the north, including the military, police, provincial council and district secretariats, were used to support the campaign of the UPFA.
[40][41][42] On the eve of voting government backed paramilitaries confiscated thousands polling cards from voters in Kilinochchi and threatened them violence.
[44] On an election day a violent clash erupted between two senior UPFA members, Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and Duminda Silva, and their supporters at Mulleriyawa.
[51] CaFFE recorded incidents of heavy misuse of state property, illegal propaganda and campaigning, intimidation, assault and failure by the police to uphold electoral law.
There was no overall control in the five remaining local authorities but the UPFA was the largest group in three, the UNP in one and the Up-Country People's Front in one.
[59][60] There was no overall control in the remaining local authority (Colombo Municipal Council) but the UNP was the largest group.