The 2nd Eastern Provincial Council is the current Eastern Provincial Council, with the membership determined by the results of the 2012 provincial council election held on 8 September 2012. The council met for the first time on 1 October 2012. According to the Constitution of Sri Lanka the maximum term of a provincial council is 5 years from the date of its first meeting.
The new provincial council met for the first time on 1 October 2012.[1] Ariyawathi Galappaththy (UPFA-SLFP) and M. S. Subair (UPFA-ACMC) were elected Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively.[2]
Government/Board of Ministers
The UPFA was able to form an administration with the support of the SLMC.[3] Under the agreement between the UPFA and SLMC a UPFA nominee would serve as Chief Minister for two and half years after a which a SLMC nominee would become Chief Minister.[4][5]M. N. Abdul Majeed of the UPFA was appointed Chief Minister by GovernorMohan Wijewickrama.[6] Majeed was sworn in on 18 September 2012 in Colombo in front of PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa.[7] The four government ministers appointed by the Governor with effect from 24 September 2012 were: Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamed Mansoor (SLMC); Meera Sahibu Udumalebbe (UPFA-NC); Dissanayaka Wimalaweera (UPFA-SLFP); and Ahamed Nazeer Zainulabdeen (SLMC).[8] As a result the Sri Lankan Tamils had no representation in the Board of Ministers (the government) despite being the largest ethnic group in the province.[9][10]
Changes in party/alliance affiliations
A few days after the election there were reports that some TNA councillors were being threatened and coerced into joining the UPFA.[11][12] It was reported that members of the military intelligence were involved in the threats.[13]G. Krishnapillai, M. Nadarajah, Kumaraswamy Nageswaran, N. Indirakumar and Murugesu Rajeswaran were offered land, money, houses, vehicles and government construction contracts, and threatened with relatives being arrested.[14] None of the TNA councillors gave into the threats and the TNA lodged a complaint with the Election Commissioner.[15]
Chief Minister (12-). Minister of Finance and Planning, Law and Order, Local Government, Regional Administration, Man Power, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Rural Development and Environment (12-).
Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine, Social Welfare, Probation and Childcare Services, Women's Affairs, Youth Affairs, Sports, Information Technology Education, Co-operative Development, Food Supply and Distribution (12-).