NPP will not form coalitions with parties rejected by people – Tilvin Silva
May 7, 2025 03:06 pm
Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main constituent party in the National People’s Power (NPP) coalition, says the NPP has no intention of establishing majorities in any local government institution through coalitions with parties that have been rejected by the public.
Speaking at a press conference today (May 07), following the release of the 2025 Local Government (LG) Election results, he emphasized that the NPP would only consider joining forces with candidates who contested independently—if they are willing to cooperate.
“The National People’s Power has managed to secure majority control in a large number of LG bodies. However, there are some institutions where, despite us receiving the highest number of votes as a party, other parties collectively have more seats,” he said.
He added, “After the election, if small parties who contested separately try to combine their results and claim a majority, we believe that is neither realistic nor fair.”
“No single party other than the NPP has been able to secure outright control of any council. Some parties have only managed to win one or two seats.”
Furthermore, Silva stressed that it is not democracy if they try to add up all the small victories of several political parties and try to form councils with them. “These are the very groups that have been rejected by the people,” he added.
“Therefore, from a clear political perspective, the NPP has won this election. We must establish councils in every LG body where we have emerged victorious so that we can continue implementing the development projects we have planned for the country,” he noted.
Asked whether the NPP would seek support from opposition parties in local bodies where it failed to secure a simple majority, Silva reiterated, “We will not form councils by aligning with parties that the people have already rejected. In some areas, many candidates contested independently. If such individuals come forward to support the NPP, we are willing to work with them.”
