The Freedom People's Alliance (abbreviated FPA; Sinhala: නිදහස් ජනතා සන්ධානය Nidahas Janathā Sandānaya; Tamil: சுதந்திர மக்கள் கூட்டணி Cutantira Makkaḷ Kūṭṭaṇi) was a political alliance in Sri Lanka founded in 2023.[1] The alliance consisted of 12 political parties, including the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SFLP), the Uttara Lanka Sabhagaya and the Freedom People's Congress.[2]
Freedom People's Alliance නිදහස් ජනතා සන්ධානය சுதந்திர மக்கள் கூட்டணி | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | FPA |
| Leader | Collective leadership |
| Secretary | Thilanga Sumathipala |
| Founded | 11 January 2023 |
| Preceded by | Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance |
| Political position | Big tent Factions: Centre-left to far-left |
| Colors | Orange Yellow |
| Parliament of Sri Lanka | 36 / 225 |
| Election symbol | |
Helicopter | |
According to ULS chairman Wimal Weerawansa, the alliance does not have a single leader; instead, it has a leadership board.[2]
Background
editOn 31 October 2019, seventeen parties including the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the SLFP signed an agreement at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo to form the Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance (SLPFA), a political alliance led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.[3][4] The alliance supported the SLPP candidate, Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the 2019 presidential election. Gotabaya won the election and became President of Sri Lanka, installing Mahinda as Prime Minister.[5][6] The alliance went on to contest the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary elections, winning a landslide victory with 145 seats.
However, between 2021 and 2022 the Rajapaksa government lost much of its popularity. The ongoing economic crisis continued to deteriorate due to mismanagement by the government.[7] By 2021, Sri Lanka's debt-to-GDP ratio had risen to 119%.[8] The government had also become highly nepotistic, with another Rajapaksa brother, Basil, serving as Minister of Finance and several more members of the Rajapaksa family holding prominent positions in the government.[9]
On 5 April 2022, amidst street protests against the Rajapaksa government and a brewing political crisis, the SLPP began losing many of its key allies in the SLPFA, including the SLFP.[10][11][12] SLFP leader and former President Maithripala Sirisena pledged that his party would become politically neutral and would contest future elections separately from the SLPP.
History
editOn 11 January 2023, the Freedom People's Alliance was ceremoniously launched at the headquarters of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.[1] At the event, Freedom People's Congress leader Dullas Alahapperuma stated that the group's main objective was to fight political corruption in Sri Lanka and safeguard the rule of law, while conceding that the previous support of FPA constituent parties for the Rajapaksa government had been a "mistake".[13]
The alliance was launched to contest in the 2023 Sri Lankan local elections, which would ultimately be postponed.
Composition
editThe alliance currently consists of the following parties:
| Party | Leader | Ideology | Political position | MPs as of 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom People's Congress | Dullas Alahapperuma | 13 / 225
| |||
| Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Maithripala Sirisena | Social democracy Sinhalese nationalism Left-wing nationalism |
Centre-left | 12 / 225
| |
Supreme Lanka Coalition
|
Wimal Weerawansa | Left-wing to far-left | 11 / 225
| ||
| Freedom People's Front | Nalaka Godahewa | 1 / 225
| |||
References
edit- ^ a b "New coalition "'Freedom People's Alliance"' launched". adaderana.lk. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Maithripala, Dullas, Wimal form Freedom People's Alliance". Colombo Gazette. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Agreement signed to form Podujana Nidahas Sandhanaya". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "31 October 2019". Ada Derana. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019.
- ^ Senarathna, Nuwan (1 November 2019). "Sixteen political parties back GR". Daily FT. Colombo. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "SLFP-SLPP coalition, Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Alliance formed". News First. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ Gordon, Nicholas (9 April 2022). "How COVID and a nationwide pivot to organic farming pushed Sri Lanka's economy to the brink of collapse". Fortune. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ Wigneraja, Ganeshan (27 April 2022). "Five lessons from Sri Lanka's debt and economic crisis". Overseas Development Institute. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Sri Lanka seeks IMF bailout amid shortages, rising public anger". Deutsche Welle. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "Sri Lanka ruling alliance loses majority ahead of parliament meet". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "SLPP MPs who became independent in Parliament". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Srinivasan, Meera (5 April 2022). "Sri Lanka crisis: Gotabaya Rajapaksa loses parliamentary majority". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "New coalition "'Freedom People's Alliance"' launched". Daily FT. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d Nilar, Amani (2 September 2022). "Dullas faction forms the Freedom People's Congress". News First. Colombo. Retrieved 20 January 2023.