Sri Lanka politics

What could democracy in the region look like in 2040 and beyond?

The NPP obtained an unprecedented two-thirds majority in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections, benefitting massively from the opposition’s inertia and lack of imagination.

Uditha Devapriya and Umesh Moramudali on Sri Lanka’s ongoing political realignment.

NPP’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the country's election, just not in the North-East.

As Dissanayake takes up the presidency, Sri Lanka stands at a pivotal juncture.

Above all, Sri Lankans voted for Anura Kumara Dissanayake due to his pledges to radically change the country’s corrupt political culture.

The growing support for Dissanayake, a center-left politician who ran on transparency and the working class, is a reflection of Sri Lanka’s broader societal unrest.

A close look at the leading candidates’ proposals reveals varying degrees of commitment to and understanding of the issues faced by women.

As Sri Lanka prepares for presidential and general elections, where do the various parties stand?

Media, internet, and civil rights groups say the bill would have “a chilling effect on free speech.” The government argues it is needed to address online fraud, abuse, and false statements.

Wickremesinghe wants to keep his job; the SLPP wants to mount a comeback. Sri Lanka voters seem to want radical change.

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.

One year after the protests that ousted Sri Lanka’s president and government, reforms remain elusive and the national crisis is far from over.

Sri Lanka hosted two high-level delegations from the U.S. in February – including one that opposition parties say was cover for a secret mission by the head of the CIA.

Fearing that it will be routed in elections, the ruling party unleashed a propaganda campaign to convince people that elections amid the economic crisis are a bad idea.

Ranil Wickremesinghe appears to be using the promise of power-sharing as a political tool to secure himself in power.

Sri Lanka’s elite-driven independence process laid the groundwork for the problems that continue to plague the country today, from ethnic tensions to inequality. 

The vote on the 22nd Amendment to the constitution lays bare the declining grip of the Rajapaksas over the SLPP.

A constitutional amendment to curtail presidential powers – again – was a key demand of the protests that drove the previous president and prime minister from office.

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.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said his government will soon start negotiating debt restructuring with countries that provide loans to Sri Lanka.

Ranil Wickremesinghe's use of troops to dismantle protest camps in Colombo sends out a chilling message.