At stake in this election:

• 225 seats in the Parliament

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA
• Head of Government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA
• Assembly: Sri Lanka has a unicameral Parliament with 225 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 6-year term.
• In the Parliament 225 members are elected by popular vote via proportional representation to serve 6-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: United National Party
  • Leader: Ranil WICKREMASINGHE
  • Seats won in this election: 109
  • Seats won in last election: 89
• Party: People's Alliance (PA)
  • Leader: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA
  • Seats won in this election: 77
  • Seats won in last election: 107
• Party: People's Liberation Front (JVP)
  • Leader: Tilvan SILVA
  • Seats won in this election: 16
  • Seats won in last election: 10
• Party: Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF)
  • Leader: R. SAMPANTHAN
  • Seats won in this election: 15
  • Seats won in last election: 5
• Party: Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP)
  • Leader: Douglas DEVANADA
  • Seats won in this election: 2
  • Seats won in last election: 4

Last Parliamentary election:

• Last Election to the Parliament: October 10, 2000.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 18,797,000 (2001)
• Registered Voters: 12,428,762 (2001)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 9,440,387 (2001)

·         Is Sri Lanka a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Sri Lanka ratified CEDAW: Yes (5 October 1981)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 10 (following the 2001 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 73 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Sri Lanka a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Sri Lanka ratified CRPD: Yes (8 February 2016)

·         Population with a disability: 2,819,550 (est.)