Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism Vijitha Herath firmly stated that the government will not allow opposition groups to misinterpret or manipulate the people’s mandate from the recent local government elections.
He emphasized that the National People’s Power (NPP), also known as the Compass, secured the highest number of votes and achieved a clear victory.
Responding to opposition claims, Herath said it was inaccurate to label all other parties as anti-government, noting that many contested simply to represent their local communities.
He specifically addressed the political tussle over the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), highlighting that the Compass won 48 seats compared to the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s (SJB) 29.
Herath pointed out that the SJB’s mayoral candidate even lost in their own ward to a 19-year-old Compass candidate.
“Despite their loss, the SJB is now trying to take control of the CMC, but that won’t happen,” he asserted.
He added that the Compass would lead the CMC and reaffirmed that the NPP would never use bribery or unfair means to gain control of any local body.
