Newly elected Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) Vraie Cally Balthazaar says the ruling party and opposition must work together as one to develop Colombo city.
Addressing the council after being elected as the Mayor, Balthazaar said her victory marks a historical formation of the CMC.
“We have a long journey ahead. The CMC is not like the Parliament. We should all work together to run the council, and not act as the ruling party or the opposition. It is the responsibility of all 117 members to work as one to improve Colombo,” the newly elected CMC Mayor said.
Vraie Cally Balthazaar of the National People’s Power (NPP) was elected Mayor of the CMC, after obtaining a majority of votes, during the election held today.
Balthazaar was elected after securing 61 votes in the 117-member local council, while her opponent, Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s Riza Zarook, fell short of securing a majority, managing to obtain only 54 votes. Among the 117 votes, 115 were accepted, and 2 were rejected.
Meanwhile, NPP’s Hemantha Kumara was appointed the Deputy Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council.
The Mayor was elected during a secret ballot held during the CMC’s inaugural session, which took place today.
The NPP had secured 48 seats and the SJB 29 seats in the 2025 Local Government Elections. (Newswire)