ECONOMYNEXT –Early outcomes of Sri Lanka’s ninth presidential ballot held on Saturday confirmed Marxists Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) chief Anura Kumara Dissanayaka was heading for a landslide victory to unseat President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his authorities.
Official outcomes of postal votes from 15 out of twenty-two districts and three out of 160 constituencies confirmed Dissanayaka was main with round 54 p.c votes up to now counted.
The victory to a non-elitist frequent man for the primary time exhibits public anger on successive authorities’s poor governance, improper financial insurance policies, and failure to remove corruption, political analysts say.
The island nation prior to now additionally has witnessed 9 key regime modifications both by defeating the president or ruling authorities since 1948 independence. Listed below are the small print of such regime modifications:
1. Common Election – 1956
Consequence: Middle-left Sri Lanka Freedom Get together (SLFP) led by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike defeated the center-right United Nationwide Get together (UNP).
Significance: This election marked a serious political shift. Bandaranaike promoted Sinhala nationalism, introducing insurance policies like making Sinhala the one official language, which deeply affected ethnic relations within the nation.
2. Common Elections (March) – 1960
Consequence: The UNP underneath Dudley Senanayake gained on account of inside conflicts within the rival SLFP. However his social gathering lacked a majority to control successfully. Consequently, the nation needed to go for an additional election inside 4 months.
3. Common Elections (July) – 1960
Consequence: SLFP underneath Sirimavo Bandaranaike (widow of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike) gained a decisive victory.
Significance: Sirimavo Bandaranaike grew to become the world’s first feminine Prime Minister. Her authorities launched socialist and nationalization insurance policies, deepening the divide between the Sinhala and Tamil populations. The interior battle within the SLFP obtained settled with Sirimavo, the widow of slain Bandaranaike as its new chief. She pledged to proceed her husband’s insurance policies, notably the Sinhala Solely Act, and to proceed with repatriation of the property Tamils to India. Nevertheless, she promised to succeed in a compromise with the principle Tamil Get together. The UNP, led by Dudley Senanayake, refused to compromise with the principle Tamil Get together. It additionally differed with the SLFP over financial coverage. The SLFP referred to as for a socialist program of nationalization of each non-public enterprises and spiritual faculties; the UNP most well-liked to depart each in non-public arms.
4. Common Election – 1977
Consequence: The UNP underneath J.R. Jayewardene gained by a landslide, ousting the SLFP.
Significance: This was a vital election that led to important financial liberalization. Jayewardene launched a brand new structure in 1978, creating an govt presidency, dramatically altering the construction of governance in Sri Lanka.
5. Common Election – 1994
Consequence: The Individuals’s Alliance (PA), a coalition led by SLFP underneath Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the daughter of Bandaranaike and Sirimawo, gained to finish 170 yr UNP rule.
Significance: Kumaratunga was elected president in the identical yr. Her administration sought to handle ethnic tensions with the Tamil neighborhood, although civil battle with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continued.
6. Common Election – 2001
Consequence: The UNP, led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, gained, defeating the PA authorities.
Significance: Wickremesinghe’s authorities tried to barter a peace course of with the LTTE whereas resurrecting an ailing financial system after the separatists destroyed the island nation’s principal airport and a raft of flights within the nationwide service. A ceasefire was signed in 2002, though it in the end failed.
7. Common Election – 2004
Consequence: The United Individuals’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), led by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, a brand new coalition headed by the SLFP, gained.
Significance: Kumaratunga’s social gathering with Mahinda Rajapaksa because the opposition chief accused Wickremesinghe of burdening the individuals with taxes, compromising nationwide safety to maintain considerably controversial ceasefire settlement, and excessive value of residing. Mahinda Rajapaksa later grew to become President in 2005, taking a hardline stance in opposition to the LTTE, and his authorities in the end defeated the LTTE in 2009, ending the practically three-decade-long civil battle.
8. Presidential Election – 2015
Consequence: The UNP-backed candidate Maithripala Sirisena defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Significance: This was a shocking election, as Rajapaksa was extensively anticipated to win an unprecedented third time period. Sirisena’s victory ended the 10-year rule of Rajapaksa, ushering in guarantees of democratic reforms and lowering the ability of the manager presidency together with robust motion in opposition to these concerned in corrupt offers.
9. Presidential Election – 2019
Consequence: Gotabaya Rajapaksa of the nationalist Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) gained the election, defeating Sajith Premadasa of the UNP.
Significance: Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former protection secretary underneath his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa from 2005-2015, credited for his function within the defeat of the LTTE, got here to energy amidst rising Sinhala Buddhist nationalist sentiments. He additionally promised robust actions in opposition to Islamist extremes after Easter Sunday suicide assault that killed a minimum of 269 individuals, principally Catholics amid bombing on church buildings and excessive finish inns. This together with 2020 parliament election victory with a two-third majority gave the Rajapaksa household important political energy with the relations holding key posts together with the presidency (Gotabaya), prime ministership (Mahinda), and finance minister portfolio (Basil Rajapaksa). They moved to consolidate govt energy as soon as once more. (Colombo/September 22/2022)