The Provincial Councils were set up in Sri Lanka for the first time in terms of 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the Provincial Council Act. No. 42 of 1987.

Elections were held to all the eight Provincial Councils for the first time in 1988. The elected North East Provincial Council (NEPC) was constituted on 5th December 1988. It had only a brief existence as it was dissolved in June 1990. As election to the North East Provincial Council has not been held thereafter it continued to be administered under the direction of the Hon.Governor of the North East Province.

After a period of about twenty years, as per judgment of the Supreme Court of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on 16th October 2006, the North East Province has been de-merged into two separate provinces; viz: Northern Province and Eastern Province. His Excellency the President has appointed Hon. Mohan Wijewickrama as the Governor for the Eastern Province.

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.