Who runs local government in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka has two elected layers below the national government: nine provincial councils (created in 1987 by the 13th Amendment) and 341 local authorities (municipal councils, urban councils and rural *pradeshiya sabhas*). Local elections due in 2022–23 were postponed and finally held on 6 May 2025 for 339 of the 341 local authorities. Provincial councils have had no elected members since their terms ran out in 2017–2019, so they are run by governors appointed by the President. Alongside them, the central government reaches every village through appointed officials, the *grama niladhari*.
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka · Unitary republic with an executive presidency · Southern Asia
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Provinces (9): provincial councils | Councils normally elected for five years; governor appointed by the President. No council elections since 2014, so governors run them. | Devolved subjects such as provincial roads, agriculture, some schools and health; supervise local authorities through a provincial commissioner of local government. |
| Districts (25) and divisional secretariats (about 330) | District secretaries and divisional secretaries are civil servants of the central government | Central government administration, land, welfare payments, registration. |
| Local authorities (341): 24 municipal councils, 41 urban councils, 276 pradeshiya sabhas | Members elected for four years by a mixed ward and proportional system; council chooses mayor/chair | Roads, waste, markets, libraries, public health, local planning, local taxes. |
| Grama niladhari divisions (about 14,000) | Grama niladhari: a government officer appointed by the central government | Village-level registration, certificates, welfare lists, reporting to the divisional secretary. |
Three questions about local power in Sri Lanka
Are local leaders elected?
Local councillors were elected in May 2025. Provincial councils are currently unelected because elections have not been held. Governors, district and divisional secretaries and grama niladharis are appointed.
Which laws set up local government?
Provincial councils (13th Amendment), local authorities (Municipal Councils Ordinance, Urban Councils Ordinance, Pradeshiya Sabhas Act) and quazi courts are formal; temple and village elders are informal.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Voters; the provincial commissioner of local government and the minister, who can dissolve councils; the Auditor General; the courts. Governors answer to the President.
Traditional and customary authority
Sri Lanka has no system of chiefs today. Buddhist monks (the sangha) and temples have strong social influence, especially in Sinhalese villages, and the Constitution gives Buddhism 'the foremost place', but monks hold no local office. Separate personal laws apply to some communities: Kandyan law, Thesawalamai (for Jaffna Tamils) and Muslim law. Muslim marriage and divorce cases are heard by *quazi* courts, which are formal courts created by statute. Elsewhere, temple and church committees and village elders mediate informally; the state also runs mediation boards for small disputes.
Community and neighbourhood power
Rural development societies, death donation societies (funeral mutual aid) and women's societies are found in most villages and often work with the grama niladhari and the local authority. Farmer organisations manage irrigation channels under the Agrarian Development Act.
Points to know
- At least 25% of local council members must be women under the 2017 electoral law.
- Local councillors are elected by a mixed system: about 60% from wards and 40% from party lists.
- In May 2025 the National People's Power won the most seats, but many councils, including Colombo, had no single-party majority and had to form coalitions.
- Provincial councils were meant to settle the demand for Tamil self-rule in the north and east; their powers remain politically sensitive.
Local terms
- Pradeshiya sabha
- A rural local council.
- Grama niladhari
- A government officer appointed for each village area (literally 'village officer').
- Quazi court
- A statutory court for Muslim marriage and divorce cases.
Sources
- Sri Lanka's Constitution of 1978 with Amendments through 2015 (Chapter XVIIA, 13th Amendment), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Election Commission of Sri Lanka (Local Authorities Election 2025), Election Commission of Sri Lanka, checked 14 October 2026
- Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Government of Sri Lanka, checked 14 October 2026
- Country profile: Sri Lanka (subnational government), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
- The local government system in Sri Lanka: country profile, Commonwealth Local Government Forum, checked 14 October 2026
See also: Sri Lanka's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.