National People’s Power (NPP) councillor Vraie Cally Balthazaar has been elected as the new Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), following a closely contested secret ballot held during the council’s inaugural session.
Balthazaar secured 61 votes, narrowly defeating Riza Zarook of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), who received 54 votes.
The vote took place after a heated debate over whether to conduct the mayoral election via open or secret ballot.
While the SJB and United National Party (UNP) initially pushed for an open vote, NPP councillors opposed the move. Ultimately, all parties agreed unanimously to proceed with a secret ballot.
The CMC convened this morning for its first sitting following the Local Government elections held on 6 May.
The session began at 9:30 a.m. under the patronage of Western Province Local Government Commissioner Sarangika Jayasundara.
No party secured an outright majority in the 117-seat council.
The NPP emerged as the largest party with 48 seats, followed by the SJB with 29, and the UNP with 13.
Smaller parties and independents hold the remaining seats, making cross-party alliances critical to the outcome of the mayoral vote.
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