The newly elected Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) convened for its inaugural sitting on June 6 following the Local Government election held on 6th of May.
The session commenced at 9:30 a.m. under the patronage of Western Province Local Government Commissioner Sarangika Jayasundara.
A dispute erupted among members over whether the Mayor should be elected via secret ballot or open vote.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and United National Party (UNP) have called for an open vote.
Two candidates have been nominated for the post of Mayor — Vraie Cally Balthazaar from the National People’s Power (NPP) and Riza Zarook from the SJB.
The council remains divided over the voting method, with no consensus reached during the session.
According to election results, the NPP won 48 seats, SJB secured 29, UNP obtained 13, and SLPP gained 5.
Several smaller parties and independent groups collectively hold the remaining seats in the 117-member council.
Since no single party has a majority, both the NPP and SJB claim to have the support of other factions to elect their preferred mayoral candidate.
A minimum of 59 seats is required to secure control of the council and appoint a Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
