Polls open in local elections in Sri Lanka

The polls opened in Sri Lanka on Tuesday (May 6, 2025) for the delayed local council elections seen as a major electoral test for the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The voting started at 7 am and will end at 4 pm. Over 17.1 million voters are eligible to vote to elect 8,287 members of 339 local government bodies at 13,759 polling stations, election officials said.

Over 75,000 candidates from 49 political parties and 257 independent groups are in the fray. The elected candidates will be appointed for a 4-year term.