Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka: why the country’s wait for elections must end

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 16, 2024
Online, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, Police, Lanka, Rajapaksa, Internet, Injury, Food, Fraud, Authoritarianism, Retirement, Militarization, Government, Corruption, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Demographics of Sri Lanka, International Monetary Fund, Supreme court

Soaring prices, shortages of essential goods and crippling external debts have sparked widespread protests across the country in recent years.

Key Points: 
  • Soaring prices, shortages of essential goods and crippling external debts have sparked widespread protests across the country in recent years.
  • In 2022, enraged demonstrators even stormed the residence of the then president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, forcing him to flee the country and resign.
  • Five elections will take place in South Asian countries this year, and most will likely return incumbent parties to power.

Unpopular candidate

  • Wickremesinghe, who has already been Sri Lankan prime minister five times, is widely tipped to run for presidency.
  • But he faces vast criticism on the grounds that he came to power without being elected by the people.
  • He won a parliamentary vote to replace Rajapaksa but has no popular mandate.
  • More than 17% of Sri Lankans are suffering from food insecurity and are in need of humanitarian assistance.

How not to hold elections

  • Local government elections were initially scheduled for March 9 2023, but they were repeatedly postponed due to a shortage of funds.
  • Shortly afterwards, the election commission postponed the elections indefinitely, defying a Supreme Court order.
  • So, when the announcement that elections would be held was finally made, it was unsurprisingly received with apprehension by the electorate.
  • Created to provide protection against online harassment, abuse and fraud, this highly repressive law could threaten the right to freedom of expression that is crucial for free and fair elections.

The elusive winds of change

  • So who are Wickremesinghe and his allies afraid of?
  • Informal surveys reveal the rising popularity of Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the leftist National People’s Power alliance.
  • Wickremesinghe originally claimed that elections would be held when Sri Lanka had achieved greater stability.


Thiruni Kelegama does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Will the world see more wars or unrest in 2024? Here are 5 hotspots to watch

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, December 30, 2023
Group, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Death, Natural Resources, Government, War, Bamar people, Instability, Flood, Islamism, Population, Hezbollah, Hamas, Violence, Arrest, Turkish coup d'état, Food, International Monetary Fund, UN, Radar, Tourism, Politics, United Nations, Drug

Some of these nations have been dealing with simmering unrest, however, which could erupt in 2024 and seize the global spotlight.

Key Points: 
  • Some of these nations have been dealing with simmering unrest, however, which could erupt in 2024 and seize the global spotlight.
  • Here are five places where I believe civil conflicts or unrest could worsen and potentially lead to violence.

Myanmar

  • Myanmar descended into chaos in 2021 when a military coup overthrew the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and sparked widespread civil protests that eventually morphed into an armed resistance.
  • The country, home to 135 ethnic groups, has rarely known peace.
  • This exploded after the coup as ethnic militia groups joined forces with pro-democracy fighters from the Bamar majority protesting the junta.

Mali

  • In Mali, a nation in the turbulent Sahel region of Africa, tensions escalated throughout 2023 and now threaten to erupt into full-scale civil war.
  • A United Nations peacekeeping mission was established in 2013 to bring stability to Mali.
  • Then, in 2015, key rebel groups signed a peace agreement with the Mali government.
  • Read more:
    Mali crisis: UN peacekeepers are leaving after 10 years – what's needed for a smooth transition

    After two more coups in 2020 and 2021, military officers consolidated their power and said they would restore the state’s full territorial control over all of Mali.

Lebanon

  • In 2019, widespread civil protest broke out in Lebanon against leaders who were perceived not to be addressing the day-to-day needs of the population.
  • The International Monetary Fund criticised Lebanon in September for a lack of economic reform.
  • Most recently, the war between Israel and Hamas has threatened to spill over to Lebanon, home to the Hezbollah militant group, which claims to have an army of 100,000 fighters.

Pakistan

  • Pakistan also faces spillover from instability in neighbouring Afghanistan and increased terror attacks.
  • Pakistan is expected to hold parliamentary elections in February 2024, after which the current military caretaker government is expected to transfer power back to civilian rule.
  • Read more:
    How Imran Khan's populism has divided Pakistan and put it on a knife's edge

Sri Lanka

  • Sri Lanka faced a debilitating economic crisis in 2022 that led to critical fuel, food and medical shortages.
  • Stability returned in 2023 as Sri Lanka began implementing economic reforms as part of a bailout agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
  • Elections are also due in Sri Lanka by late 2024.


Jessica Genauer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.