Sri Lanka鈥檚 leftist government faced its first electoral test with local polls on Tuesday since sweeping parliamentary and presidential votes last year, as the country emerged from economic meltdown.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urged voters to return all 339 local council bodies to his ruling National People鈥檚 Party coalition, which enjoys a sweeping two-thirds majority in parliament.
Dissanayake, who upset the more established political parties to win the September presidential election, built on his popularity to secure the parliamentary vote held two months later.
Since coming to power, Dissanayake, 56, has made a U-turn on his pledge to renegotiate the terms of an unpopular IMF bailout loan agreed by his predecessor, and has maintained high tariffs.
鈥榃e must understand the nature of the reality before us 鈥� an economy that has collapsed to the bottom,鈥� Dissanayake said at his May Day rally in Colombo.
He said it was essential for his party to sweep the local councils so that all layers of the administration were 鈥榝ree of corruption and endemic waste鈥�.
He also urged trade unions not to agitate over 鈥榮mall issues鈥�, and to give his government more time to deliver on its promises of increased welfare.
Some 17.1 million people 鈥� the same number that voted in the two previous national elections 鈥� are eligible to vote on Tuesday to elect 8,287 councillors from 75,589 candidates.
The campaign has been lacklustre, with no high-profile figures in the running. Results are expected by midday on Wednesday.