1947 Ceylonese parliamentary election

1947 Ceylonese parliamentary election

23 August 1947 - 20 September 1947
95 seats in the House of Representatives of Ceylon 48 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	61.3%
First party Second party   Leader D. S. Senanayake N. M. Perera Party United National Party Lanka Sama Samaja Party Leader since 1946 1945 Leader's seat Mirigama Ruwanwella Seats won 42 10 Popular vote 751,432 204,020 Percentage 39.81% 10.81%   Third party Fourth party   Leader G. G. Ponnambalam Savumiamoorthy Thondaman Party All Ceylon Tamil Congress Ceylon Indian Congress Leader since 1944 1939 Leader's seat Jaffna Nuwara Eliya Seats won 7 6 Popular vote 82,499 72,230 Percentage 4.37% 3.83%
Prime Minister before election n/a Prime Minister-designate D. S. Senanayake United National Party

Parliamentary elections were held in Ceylon between 23 August and 20 September 1947. They were the first elections overseen and administered by the newly formed Department of Parliamentary Elections.

Background

This is considered the first national election held in Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon). Although it took place before independence was actually granted, it was the first election under the Soulbury Constitution.

Some of the major figures who had led the independence struggle were found in the rightwing United National Party led by D.S. Senanayake. In opposition were the Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party and Bolshevik Leninist Party of India, the Communist Party of Ceylon, the Ceylon Indian Congress and an array of independents.

Results

Senanayake's UNP fell short of a majority, but was able to form a government in coalition with the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, which had taken most of the seats in the Tamil regions.

Sri Lanka obtained full independence as a dominion in 1948. The British nevertheless retained military bases in the country and English remained as the official language along with much of the administrative system put in place by the British along with British officials.