The opposition alliance led by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has secured majority control of the Matugama Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society, the party said on Tuesday.
The result was announced by Shobhath Wijeratne, the SJB’s chief organiser for the Matugama electorate.
A total of 100 members representing 46 regional divisions have been elected as representatives of the society, Ada Derana reported.
Why cooperative elections matter
Multi-purpose co-operative societies are among the most widely used community institutions in Sri Lanka, running retail outlets, credit schemes and agricultural services at divisional level. Control of a society’s board determines who manages that network locally.
Sri Lanka has more than 14,000 registered co-operative societies, of which 8,963 are active, with a combined membership approaching 8.7 million people based on 2017 figures. The sector employs over 39,000 people.
Governance of the sector has drawn scrutiny in recent months. In July the government launched a National Digital Portal for co-operative member registration, which officials described as a first step towards building a unified national database and improving transparency across societies. The absence of integrated, up-to-date records had been identified as a long-standing weakness.
Because society elections are contested by candidates aligned with national parties, the results are often read as an indicator of local political standing between formal election cycles. Matugama, in the Kalutara District, has been a competitive seat for the SJB.
The society’s newly elected representatives will now take up positions on its governing body.
