Colombo East electoral district was an electoral district

Electoral district

An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...

 of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

 between July 1977

Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 1977

The 1977 Sri Lankan election heralded the beginning of a new period of Sri Lanka's history - a period of unprecedented violence.-Background:Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike had become extraordinarily unpopular. Her economic policies had led to industrial growth and self-reliance, but was...

 and February 1989

Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 1989

Sri Lanka had not had a parliamentary election since 1977. The elections that should normally have been held by 1983 had been cancelled by the 1982 referendum.President Ranasinghe Premadasa called the election for February 15.-Electoral District:...

. The district was named after the city of Colombo

Colombo

Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

 in Colombo District

Colombo District

Colombo District is the smallest district in Sri Lanka with an area of 642 km². It is located in the Western Province, on the western coast of the island. Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo and the political capital, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte are located in this district...

, Western Province

Western Province, Sri Lanka

The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenapura as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center.-Districts:Basnahira is divided into 3 districts:...

. The district was created by the division of the Colombo South Electoral District

Colombo South Electoral District

Colombo South electoral district was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and July 1977. The district was named after the city of Colombo in Colombo District, Western Province. The district was a two-member constituency between March 1960 and July 1977...

 into Colombo East and Colombo West

Colombo West Electoral District

Colombo West electoral district was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between July 1977 and February 1989. The district was named after the city of Colombo in Colombo District, Western Province. The district was created by the division of the Colombo South Electoral District into Colombo East and...

 electoral districts in July 1977. The 1978 Constitution

Constitution of Sri Lanka

The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been the constitution of the island nation of Sri Lanka since its original promulgation by the National State Assembly on 7 September 1978. It is Sri Lanka's second republican constitution, and its third constitution since the...

 of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation

Proportional representation

Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...

 electoral system for electing

Elections in Sri Lanka

Elections in Sri Lanka gives information on election and election results in Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a six year term by the people...

 members

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 of Parliament

Parliament of Sri Lanka

The Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...

. The existing 160 mainly single-member

Plurality voting system

The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...

 electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral district

Electoral district

An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...

s. Colombo East electoral district was replaced by the Colombo multi-member electoral district

Colombo Electoral District

Colombo electoral district is one of the 22 multi-member electoral districts of Sri Lanka created by the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. The district is conterminous with the administrative district of Colombo in the Western province...

 at the 1989 general elections

Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 1989

Sri Lanka had not had a parliamentary election since 1977. The elections that should normally have been held by 1983 had been cancelled by the 1982 referendum.President Ranasinghe Premadasa called the election for February 15.-Electoral District:...

, the first under the PR system, though Colombo East continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.

1977 Parliamentary general election

Results of the 8th parliamentary election

Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 1977

The 1977 Sri Lankan election heralded the beginning of a new period of Sri Lanka's history - a period of unprecedented violence.-Background:Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike had become extraordinarily unpopular. Her economic policies had led to industrial growth and self-reliance, but was...

held on 21 July 1977 for the district:

Candidate	|Symbol	|%
Edmund Samarawickrema		Elephant	19,721	58.75%
Vivian S. Kodikara		Hand	7,678	22.87%
Bernard Soysa		Key	5,951	17.73%
Gunasena Subasinghe		Umbrella	103	0.31%
M.H. Jayaratne Peiris		Clock	57	0.17%
M.P. Ariyadasa		Flower	56	0.17%
Valid Votes			33,566	100.00%
Rejected Votes			|136
Total Polled			33,702
Registered Electors			43,574
Turnout			77.34%