Editing Colombo (section)

== Government and politics ==
[[File:Colombo Municipal Council.JPG|thumb|250px|Colombo Municipal Council]]

===Local government===

Colombo is a [[charter city]], with a [[mayor-council government]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Colombo Municipal Council |url=http://colombo.mc.gov.lk/colombo.php |access-date=2018-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413185636/http://colombo.mc.gov.lk/colombo.php |archive-date=2018-04-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The mayor and council members are elected through local government elections held once in five years. For the past 50 years the city had been ruled by the [[United National Party]] (UNP), a [[Right-wing politics|right]] leaning party, whose business-friendly policies resonate with the population of Colombo. However, the UNP nomination list for the 2006 Municipal elections was rejected,<ref>[http://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2006/02/060216_colombo.shtml Colombo UNP list rejected] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016093710/http://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2006/02/060216_colombo.shtml |date=2015-10-16 }}, ''BBC News'', February 16, 2006</ref> and an Independent Group supported by the UNP won the elections.<ref>[http://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2006/05/060521_cmc_election.shtml Independent group wins CMC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016093710/http://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2006/05/060521_cmc_election.shtml |date=2015-10-16 }}, ''BBC News'', May 21, 2006</ref> [[Uvais Mohamed Imitiyas]] was subsequently appointed Mayor of Colombo.<ref>[http://www.sundaytimes.lk/060528/index.html Rotational mayors as Colombo gets trishaw driver as her first citizen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070716163027/http://www.sundaytimes.lk/060528/index.html |date=2007-07-16 }}, ''Sunday Times'', May 28, 2006</ref>

The city government provides sewer, road and waste management services to the residents. In the case of water, electricity and telephone utility services, the council liaises with the [[National Water Supply and Drainage Board|National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB)]], the [[Ceylon Electricity Board|Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB)]] and [[Telecommunications in Sri Lanka|telephone service providers]] operating in the country respectively.

===National capital status===
Colombo was the capital of the coastal areas controlled by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British from the 1700s to 1815 when the British gained control of the entire island following the [[Kandyan convention]]. From then until the 1980s the national capital of the island was Colombo.

During the 1980s plans were made to move the administrative capital to [[Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]] and thus move all governmental institutions out of Colombo to make way for commercial activities. As a primary step, the [[Parliament of Sri Lanka|Parliament]] was moved to a new complex in Kotte, with several ministries and departments also relocated. However, the move was never completed.

Today, many governmental institutions still remain in Colombo. These include the [[President's House, Colombo|President's House]], [[Presidential Secretariat (Sri Lanka)|Presidential Secretariat]], [[Prime Minister's House (Colombo)|Prime Minister's House]] (Temple Trees), [[Prime Minister's Office (Colombo)|Prime Minister's Office]], the [[Supreme Court of Sri Lanka]], [[Central Bank of Sri Lanka]], important government ministries and departments; such as [[Ministry of Finance and Planning (Sri Lanka)|Finance]] (Treasury), [[Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)|Defence]], Public Administration & Home affairs, [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sri Lanka)|Foreign affairs]], Justice and the [[Army Headquarters (Sri Lanka)|Military headquarters]], Naval headquarters ([[SLNS Parakrama]]), Air Force headquarters ([[SLAF Colombo]]) and [[Sri Lanka Police|Police]] national and field force headquarters.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka |url=http://www.justiceministry.gov.lk/courts%20of%20Law/THE%20SUPREME%20COURT%20OF%20SRI%20LANKA.htm |publisher=Justice Ministry |access-date=November 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118060405/http://www.justiceministry.gov.lk/courts%20of%20Law/THE%20SUPREME%20COURT%20OF%20SRI%20LANKA.htm |archive-date=November 18, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ministries of Sri Lanka Government |publisher=Government of Sri Lanka |url=http://www.gov.lk/public/groups.asp?xi=91&groupname=Ministries+of+Sri+Lanka+Government |access-date=November 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070309224646/http://www.gov.lk/public/groups.asp?xi=91&groupname=Ministries+of+Sri+Lanka+Government |archive-date=March 9, 2007 }}</ref>