A significant shift in Sri Lankan politics is unfolding as rebel leaders from the party led by the Rajapaksa family have announced their decision to form a new political outfit next week. This move is aimed at supporting incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for September 21st. The announcement came on Saturday from Mahindananda Aluthgamage, a former loyalist to the Rajapaksa family, during a political gathering in the central district of Kandy.
The Rajapaksas, a powerful political dynasty in Sri Lanka, have dominated the nation’s politics through their Sri Lanka People’s Front (SLPP), known locally as Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. The party has held the reins of power at the Centre for over two decades. However, a dramatic turn of events has seen over 100 SLPP MPs, out of the 145 elected to parliament in 2020, align themselves with 75-year-old Wickremesinghe. These MPs have defied the party’s decision to nominate the younger Rajapaksa, Namal, as their candidate for the presidential election.
This development follows the SLPP’s support for Wickremesinghe in July 2022 when he was elected to serve the remaining term of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Gotabaya fled the country and resigned after months of public protests sparked by the nation’s crippling economic crisis. The island nation’s declaration of its first sovereign default since independence from Britain in 1948, in mid-April 2022, served as a stark reminder of the dire economic situation.
Since then, Wickremesinghe has steered the government with the help of a younger generation of SLPP ministers. They have undertaken crucial reforms in the power and energy sector, aiming to put the country’s economy back on track. However, the SLPP’s hardliners have staunchly opposed Wickremesinghe’s economic reforms, which are aligned with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package. The party’s primary objection lies in the policy of selling state-owned enterprises, a key element of the IMF’s reform program aimed at minimizing state revenue losses.
In a move reflecting the internal power struggle within the SLPP, the party has warned of disciplinary action against any member who supports a candidate other than Namal Rajapaksa. This warning underscores the deep divisions within the party, making the upcoming presidential election a highly anticipated event in Sri Lankan politics.
