[5] The remaining eight seats were won by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (6), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (1) and Eelam People's Democratic Party (1).

[7] Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the UNFGG and UNP, was able to form a national government with the support of UPFA MPs loyal to President Maithripala Sirisena.

[10] The incumbent United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), buoyed by the military defeat of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, won a landslide victory, securing 144 seats in the legislature.

[14][15][16] In November 2014 Rajapaksa called a presidential election, two years ahead of schedule, seeking an unprecedented third term.

[17][18] In a surprise move Maithripala Sirisena, Rajapaksa's Minister of Health, was put up as the common opposition candidate.

[24][25][26] In March 2015 Sirisena formed a national government by appointing ministers from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the main constituent of the UPFA.

[33][34][35] 196 MPs were elected from 22 multi-member electoral districts using the D'Hondt method with an open list, a proportional representation system.

[36][37] The remaining 29 seats were allocated to contesting parties and independent groups in proportion to their share of the national vote.

[54] The UPFA, United National Front for Good Governance and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) contested in all 22 electoral districts.

[70][71][72] Feeling "betrayed" by Sirisena, his supporters in the UPFA/SLFP allied themselves with the UNP to form the United National Front for Good Governance.

[81][82][83][84] On 12 July 2015 the UNP, SLMC and TPA signed agreements with the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and anti-Rajapaksa members of the SLFP to form the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) to contest the election.

[108] The Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist Bodu Bala Sena allied with the United Lanka Great Council (Eksath Lanka Maha Sabha) to contest as the Buddhist People's Front (Bodu Jana Peramuna) in 16 electoral districts.

[109][110] Thushara Devalegama, a UNP supporter, was attacked and killed by an unidentified group on 29 June 2015 in Nivithigala, Ratnapura District.

[111][112] Two people (Siththi Maheema and Bulathsinghalalage Niroshan Sampath) were killed and around dozen others injured when gunmen arriving in two vehicles opened fire into a crowd attending an election rally for UNP candidate Ravi Karunanayake at Kotahena on 31 July 2015.