propaganda was a vital element in the mutiny of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on the Cocos Islands in 1942. It was the main opposition party after the general elections of 1936, 1947 and 1956, the second largest party in Parliament after the general elections of 1947, 1956 and 1970. Although in more recent years, the LSSP has been considered a politically spent force, gaining, for example less than 1% of the vote in the 1982 presidential elections, it has nevertheless been touted as the world's only successful Trotskyist party. This was because it participated in Government and because it has played a role far larger than its electoral success would suggest, having been ideologically hegemonic in the period 1936-1977. The 1972 Republican Constitution was drafted by Dr Colvin R. de Silva, an LSSP Minister and the country's leading lawyer. Bolshevik-Leninist Party The Bolshevik-Leninist Party was formed in 1945 as a breakaway group of the LSSP, which reunited with its parent in 1950. Communist Party of Sri Lanka−CPSL The Communist Party of Sri Lanka−CPSL, which began as a Stalinist faction of the LSSP that was later expelled, formed its own party in 1943, remaining faithful to the dictates of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Socialist Party of Sri Lanka The Socialist Party of Sri Lanka is the first left-wing party in Sri Lanka to nominate a female presidential candidate. Dr. Ajantha Perera, an environmental scientist, who has over 30 years of experience advising multiple Ministries in Sri Lanka and Fiji, will be contesting in the Presidential elections of December 2019. Dr. Ajantha Perera is also the first female Presidential candidate of Sri Lanka this millennium (since 1999). See also References 1930s in Ceylon 1940s in Ceylon Communism in Sri Lanka Political history of Sri Lanka Political parties in Sri Lanka Socialist parties in Sri Lanka Sri Lankan independence movement Trotskyist organisations in Sri Lanka