member_of_political_party ferial ashraff
Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the legendary demon king Ravana in the epics of the " Ramayana " and the " Mahabharata ". The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known as the Trikuta Mountains . The ancient city of Lankapura is thought to have been burnt down by Hanuman . After its king , Ravana , was killed by Rama with the help of Ravana ' s brother Vibhishana , the latter was crowned king of Lankapura . The mythological site of Lank is identified with Sri Lanka . His descendants were said to still rule the kingdom during the period of the Pandavas . According to the " Mahabharata ", the Pandava Sahadeva visited this kingdom during his southern ___MASK94___ campaign for the rajasuya of Yudhishthira . A political ___MASK28___ , also referred to as a political coalition , political bloc , is an agreement for cooperation between different political parties on common political agenda , often for purposes of contesting an election to mutually benefit by collectively clearing election thresholds , or otherwise benefiting from characteristics of the voting system or for government formation after elections . Sri Lanka ( or ; Sinhalese :         ', Tamil :     " Ilakai "), officially the Democratic Socialist ___MASK37___ of Sri Lanka ( formerly known as Ceylon ), is an island country in South Asia near south - east India . Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest . The ___MASK77___ is a political party in Sri Lanka . India , officially the ___MASK37___ of India (" Bhrat Gaarjya "), is a country in South Asia . It is the seventh - largest country by area , the second - most populous country ( with over 1 . 2 billion people ), and the most populous democracy in the world . It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south , the Arabian Sea on the southwest , and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast . It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west ; China , Nepal , and Bhutan to the northeast ; and Myanmar ( Burma ) and Bangladesh to the east . In the Indian Ocean , India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives . India ' s Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia . Its capital is New Delhi ; other metropolises include Mumbai , Kolkata , Chennai , Bangalore , Hyderabad and Ahmedabad . A nation ( from Latin : " natio ", " people , tribe , kin , genus , class , flock ") is a large group or collective of people with common characteristics attributed to them  including language , traditions , " mores " ( customs ), " habitus " ( habits ), and ethnicity . By comparison , a nation is more impersonal , abstract , and overtly political than an ethnic group . It is a cultural - political community that has become conscious of its autonomy , ___MASK51___ , and particular interests . Proportional representation (" PR ") characterizes electoral systems by which divisions in an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body . If " n "% of the electorate support a particular political party , then roughly " n "% of seats will be won by that party . The essence of such systems is that all votes contribute to the result : not just a plurality , or a bare majority , of them . Proportional representation requires the use of multiple - member voting districts ( also called super - districts ); it is not ___MASK64___ using single - member districts alone . In fact , the most proportional representation is achieved when just one super - district is used . Colombo ( Sinhala :    " Kolamba ", pronounced ) is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka . According to the Brookings Institution , Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5 . 6 million , and 752 , 993 in the city proper . It is the financial centre of the island and a popular tourist destination . It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte , the legislative capital of Sri Lanka . Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is within the urban area of , and a satellite city of , Colombo . It is also the administrative capital of Western Province , Sri Lanka and the district capital of Colombo District . Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins . It was the legislative capital of Sri Lanka until 1982 . Mahinda Amaraweera ( Sinhala :         ) ( born February 12 , 1962 ) is a Sri Lankan politician . He is the present Minister of Fisheries . He is representative of Hambantota District for the United People ' s Freedom ___MASK28___ in the Parliament of Sri Lanka . He ' s residence is in Colombo . The concept of universal suffrage , also known as general suffrage or common suffrage , consists of ___MASK24___ to vote of all except a small number of adult citizens ( or subjects ). As minors are generally excluded , the concept is frequently described as " universal adult suffrage ". Many countries make an exception for small numbers of adults that are considered mentally incapable of voting . Other countries also exclude people convicted of serious crimes or people in jail , but this is considered a violation of a basic human right in an increasing number of countries . In some countries , including the United States , it is very difficult and expensive for convicted criminals to regain this right even after having served their jail sentence . In any case , where universal suffrage exists , ___MASK24___ to vote is not restricted by race , sex , belief , wealth , or social status . The United People ' s Freedom ___MASK28___ is a political ___MASK28___ in Sri Lanka . The current leader of the United People ' s Freedom ___MASK28___ ( UPFA ) is Maithripala Sirisena and Mahinda Amaraweera is the general secretary of UPFA . The ___MASK74___ is one of the major political parties in Sri Lanka . It was founded by S . W . R . D Bandaranaike in 1951 and , since then , has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena . It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in government on a number of occasions . The party is generally considered as having a socialist or progressive economic agenda and is often associated with nationalist Sinhala parties . The ___MASK74___ is a main constituent party in the United People ' s Freedom Alliance . The Maldives (, or ), officially the ___MASK37___ of Maldives (""), is a South Asian island country , located in the Indian Ocean . It lies southwest of India and Sri Lanka . The chain of twenty - six atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to the Addu City in the south . Comprising a territory spanning roughly , the Maldives is one of the world ' s most geographically dispersed countries , as well as the smallest Asian country by both land area and population , with a little over 393 , 500 inhabitants . Malé is the capital and most populated city , traditionally called the " King ' s Island " for its central location . The National ___MASK51___ Alliance was a political alliance in Sri Lanka . Founded in 1999 , the alliance ceased to exist in 2010 when its remaining members joined the ___MASK74___ . Ferial Ismail Ashraff ( born August 20 , 1953 ) is a Sri Lankan politician . She was the wife of M . H . M . Ashraff , the deceased leader of the ___MASK77___ and the National ___MASK51___ Alliance . She was the Minister of Housing and Common Amenities under President Chandrika Kumaratunga . She was a representative of Ampara District for the United People ' s Freedom Alliance in the Parliament of Sri Lanka . She resides in Colombo . In 2010 , she was appointed to the board of the National Institute of Education . In 2011 she was appointed to the position of ambassador to Singapore . The Parliament of Sri Lanka ( Sinhala :                      " Sri Lanka Parlimenthuwa ") is the 225 - member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka . The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for five - year terms , with universal suffrage . Parliament reserves the power to make all laws . It is modeled after the British Parliament . Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (; born 29 June 1945 ) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth President of Sri Lanka , from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005 . The country ' s only female president to date , she is the daughter of two former prime ministers and was the leader of the ___MASK74___ ( SLFP ) until the end of 2005 . The President of the Democratic Socialist ___MASK37___ of Sri Lanka (" Sri Lanka Janadhipathi ") is the elected head of state and head of government of Sri Lanka . The President leads the executive branch of the Sri Lankan government and is the commander - in - chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces .