President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

The aim is to dilute the executive presidency, but there are differences on the extent to which the president’s powers should be clipped.

President Gotabaya, who is the last Rajapaksa still clinging to national office, has not been seen outside his heavily guarded compound.

Security forces have been ordered to shoot those deemed to be participating in violence.

If the Sri Lankan president was angling for a dignified departure from power, those hopes are unlikely to be fulfilled.

Implementing the IMF’s recommendations will be a daunting task for the Rajapaksa government as it will be resisted by the masses, opposition parties, and trade unions.

That will not be easy as the president enjoys enormous powers and cannot be impeached easily.

The leaderless nature of the protests was part of the attraction for many Sri Lankans. But leaders need to emerge if the movement is going to succeed in bringing about political change.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is willing to learn from the international community on human rights issues, he told Parliament.