The Provincial Councils system was introduced in Sri Lanka as an initial political settlement for conflict and process the devolution of power. The Provincial Councils were set up in Sri Lanka in 1988 in terms of 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the Provincial Council Act. No. 42 of 1987.


13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka carved out a provincial sphere of devolved governance by specifying an area of legislative, executive and financial competence to be exercised by the Provincial Councils. The responsibility and subject content under the Provincial Councils and the Centre was set out in the provincial and reserved lists respectively. There is a concurrent list containing subjects with overlapping responsibilities.


Elections were held to all the eight Provincial Councils for the first time in 1988. The elected North East Provincial Council was constituted on 5th December 1988. It had only a brief existence as it was dissolved in June 1990. No election to the North East Provincial Council held thereafter and continued to be administered under the direction of the Hon. Governor of the North East Province.


For the last 17 years, the Provincial Ministries had been run by the Chief Secretary and Ministry Secretaries under the direction of the Governor due to the absence of the Provincial Council and the Board of Ministers.


After a period of about twenty years, in view of the judgment of the Supreme Court of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on the 16th October 2006, the North East Provincial Council was de-merged into two separate Provincial Councils viz: Northern Provincial Council and Eastern Provincial Councils.


The Election for the Eastern Provincial Council was held on 10th May 2008 and the Council was formed with the elected members representing various political parties and five ministries have also been established.


The first session of the newly elected Eastern Provincial Council took place in Trincomalee on the 4th June 2008.