Gotabaya Rajapaksa

How will the bombshell charge that the Rajapaksas were complicit in the 2019 Easter bombings impact Sri Lankan politics? 

A British TV report alleged that a top intelligence official helped plan the bombings in a plot to bolster the election chances of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The report said Rajapaksa, then a powerful defense official, ordered the destruction of all police records older than five years after mass graves were discovered in the Matale district of central Sri Lanka in 2013.

Yes, Sri Lankans drove President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from office – but did they accomplish any lasting change?

For far too long Sri Lanka has been a stage with the Rajapaksas as the only meaningful actors. A democratic renewal may be all that can save the country in the long run.

The government is concerned about renewed protests against the unpopular former leader, while opposition figures worry Rajapaksa will try to find a way to re-enter politics.

While the government says it is willing to engage with the international community to seek closure of human rights issues, any solution should conform to the country's constitution.

If passed into law, the amendments would reinstate democratic reforms made in 2015 and then reversed in 2020 under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

He will remain in the post until Parliament elects a new president to serve out the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s term, ending in 2024.

Public ire turns against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has been appointed acting president.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to step down, while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he would leave once a new government was in place.

The country needs a credible government that enjoys legitimacy in the eyes of the people. Forming one will be a herculean task.