The Dynasty Returns to Dominance
Photograph of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.
On 16 Nov., a Presidential election took place in Sri Lanka. The election, held in the wake of a major political crisis, contained 35 candidates on the ballot. Gotabaya Rajapaksa was declared the winner of the poll, capturing over 50 per cent of the vote.
The Rajapaksa family has been a dominating force in Sri Lankan politics for years, and, after a short stint, they are back in power.
The election was split along ethnic lines. Mr Rajapaksa's victory came mostly from Sinhalese groups, while Sajith Premadasa (the primary opposition candidate) took much of the Northern Tamil population, as reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
The election was also held in the wake of the April Sri Lankan Easter Bombings, in which an Islamic militant group killed 259 with an explosive device, in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital.
Mr Rajapaksa's brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former President, has been named Prime-Minister. An action which has been criticised by many opposition leaders as a blatant display of nepotism, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The Rajapaksas are credited with ending the 26-year civil war, in which the separatist groups (including the famous 'Tamil Tigers') fought to establish an independent Tamil-dominated state in Northern Sri Lanka.
Mr Rajapaksa is accused of committing human rights abuses, during his term as Defence Minister at the end of the civil war. There are reports that his policies to end the conflict were overly-brutal, according to National Public Radio.
Mr Premadasa said to the press that he would 'honour the decision of the people'. Although he carried the Tamil vote, he scored below 30 per cent of the southern-Sinhalese population, of which Mr Rajapaksa took a much more significant portion.
The Rajapaksas and their Sri Lanka National Front Party are expected to obtain a majority in the next parliamentary elections, which should be held in April 2020, according to The Economist.
Mr Rajapaksa's inauguration ceremony was held in a sacred Buddist shrine. A choice which highlighted the question of national unity in Sri Lanka.
Although the election primarily ran along ethnic lines, many Sri Lankans wish to see an end to the mounting tensions between Tamil, Sinhalese, and other groups. It is still unclear how Mr Rajapaksa plans to enhance national and religious unity, or even if he has a solidified plan.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa's older brother, is still considered to be the de facto leader of the party, and many see him as the dominant figure of the government.
Despite their questionable past, the Rajapaksa Dynasty has returned to power. The question now is: can they unite this profoundly fragmented nation?
Sources:
"Sri Lanka election: Wartime defence chief Rajapaksa wins presidency". BBC News, British Broadcasting Corporation, 17 Nov. 2019,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50449677
"Sri Lanka's new president picks brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM". Al Jazeera News, Al Jazeera Media Network, 20 Nov. 2019,
Lonsdorf, Kat. "Gotabaya Rajapaksa Wins Sri Lankan Presidential Elections". NPR, National Public Radio, 17 Nov. 2019,
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/17/780241242/gotabaya-rajapaksa-wins-sri-lankan-presidential-elections
"A polarising figure becomes president of Sri Lanka". The Economist, The Economist Group, 21 Nov. 2019,
https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/11/21/a-polarising-figure-becomes-president-of-sri-lanka