As fate would have it, it is the very Sri Lankans that Rajapaksa alienated could cost him the role of Prime Minister.
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“Once the people have made their will known, everybody will have to fall in line”, said Mr Rajapaksa “That’s whole meaning of democracy“.
During Rajapaksa’s presidency, Sri Lanka’s relationship with India deteriorated, owing partly to his government’s failure to reconcile with the Tamil minority.
A leading contender in the election is former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose nine-year tenure was characterised by rising authoritarianism, nepotism and corruption. A strong showing by the Rajapaksa-led UPFA, however, would complicate the president’s plans to form a broad-based “national” government between the UNP, smaller parties and the reformist wing of the SLFP and present obstacles to further progress on much-needed governance reforms and reconciliation. (This has strengthened the position of prime minister, for which Rajapaksa is vying.).
The uncertainty since Sirisena’s win has affected perceptions of Sri Lanka.
Deprived of his customary control over the state media and security apparatus, Rajapaksa has struggled to build a groundswell of support to back a bid to lead the next government.
He has also suspended the two leaders’ membership. Karunanayake blamed supporters of Rajapaksa for the attack, which party members denied. Experts say the election for prime minister is unlikely to follow a similar path, because President Sirisena is not taking part in the campaign.
Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday asked President Maithripala Sirisena to respect the mandate of the people in the upcoming parliamentary election on Monday.
Rajapaksa’s camp rejects assertions that a victory for him would lead to instability.
Wickramasinghe, many believe, is the right man to lead and reinvigorate the Sri Lankan economy, especially with his pro-West, liberal outlook. According to the Tamil Guardian, Eknaligoda’s wife said the Rajapaksa regime is connected with the disappearance of her husband, possibly in an attempt to silence his criticism. Sri Lanka’s chance to finally start on the road to a sustainable resolution of the country’s decades-long ethnic strife, including a negotiated political settlement, depends on the outcome. An opinion poll conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives earlier this month revealed that Wickramasinghe was overwhemingly favoured by Muslims, Tamils anduUp-Country Tamils, while Rajapaksa was the preferred choice among the Sinhala Buddhists. “Should the UPFA (the coalition of parties headed by the SLFP) get to form a coalition, Sirisena will likely try to find someone else in the party”, Keenan says.
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Interestingly, Rajapaksa is contesting from Kurunegala in Sri Lanka’s North-Western Province, as opposed to his traditional bastion in the South. Nationally, Kurunegala is the third-highest electoral district, and importantly for Rajapaksa, it boasts of a majority Sinhala Buddhist population.
