On 5th August ’20, Sri-Lankan parliamentary election results were announced, which heralded a new beginning for the island nation. The SLPP (Sri Lanka Perudajana Party) coalition won the elections handsomely by winning 150 of the 225 parliamentary seats, thus giving them a clear two-third majority in the parliament. The SLPP party belongs to the Rajapakses.
Sri Lanka: 2015 to 2019
In 2015, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the strongman of Sri Lankan politics was a surprise loser to Maithripala Sirisena, a Minister of Agriculture, Environment, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development in his government. It was a surprise defeat, and the world welcomed it with open arms. Mahinda Rajapaksa with his brother Gotbaya Rakapaksa were the architects of the victory in the war with LTTE and its ultimate decimation, in 2009. This achievement should have sealed their name in the annals of the Sri Lankan history. However, in the years that followed, Mahinda Rajapaksa became a symbol of absolute power, who persecuted every entity that criticised him or stood against his desire to acquire more power. The severe condemnation of grave human rights abuses by the Sri Lankan army at the end of the LTTE war met with scorn and disdain. His desire for limitless power saw the Sri Lankan parliament under his tutelage pass the 18th constitutional amendment, which gave sweeping powers to the Sri Lankan president. His isolation internationally including with his neighbours, drove him to the Chinese, who ultimately led Sri Lanka into a debt trap and laid the foundation of his defeat in 2015. Read More…
