Marxist-Leaning Party Wins Two-Thirds Majority in Sri Lanka's Parliament

We have very well understood the weight of this victory,

said top NPP official Tilvin Silva

The Tamil parties were divided and contested separately, and as a result, the Tamil people's representation is scattered,

said Veeragathy Thanabalasingham, a Colombo-based political analyst

People have given them a strong mandate. I am hopeful that the NPP will use this mandate to uplift the country from the present pathetic situation,

he said

The president has a huge mandate now to carry through the reforms but also huge expectations from the people,

said Bhavani Fonseka, a researcher at Colombo's Centre for Policy Alternatives

We think it is unlikely that Dissanayake is emboldened by this sweeping victory to unveil a market-unfriendly set of policies that might be truer to his Marxist roots,

Tellimer Insights said in an analyst note

The era of dividing and setting one community against the other has ended as people are embracing the NPP,

Dissanayake, the NPP leader, said

We are still stuck with the problems we faced before. We still don't have financial help even to fulfill our daily needs,

26-year-old garment factory worker Manjula Devi, who works in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone near Colombo, told the BBC

We see this as a critical turning point for Sri Lanka. We expect a mandate to form a strong parliament, and we are confident the people will give us this mandate,

Dissanayake said after casting his vote on Thursday

We believe that this is a crucial election that will mark a turning point in Sri Lanka,

Dissanayake told reporters after voting at a polling station in the capital

I think we are seeing the first signs of a positive political change in Sri Lanka after the president was elected and we should give him the chance to continue that change."

Umeshi Perera, 32, who waited in line to vote in a Colombo suburb, said

I expect a new country, a new government that is friendly toward the people,

said 70-year-old pensioner Milton Gankandage, who was among the first to vote in Colombo's Wellawatte district

Thank you to all who voted for a renaissance!"

After the result was announced, Dissanayake posted on his social media

The military is also on standby to assist the police but we do not expect any incidents,

he added