Sri Lanka political parties flag poll aspirations on May Day
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Sri Lanka political parties flag poll aspirations on May Day

The Hindu  

With a presidential election expected later this year,the May Day rallies ofall main political parties in Sri Lanka seemed a prelude to their poll campaigns. Addressing the SJB’s May Day rally in Colombo, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa, pledged to implement the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution, which promises a measure of power devolution to the provinces. The party and its now-popular leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told supporters gathered near Colombo’s Town Hall: “We should create Sri Lanka’s biggest people’s movement, in order to bring in a new era.” He promised equitable distribution of economic prosperity to all Sri Lankans. Tamil parties from the island’s north and east held May Day events highlighting pending concerns over accountability, power devolution, and ongoing land grabs in the region.

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History of this topic

Challenges before the new Sri Lankan Government
1 week, 2 days ago

Challenges before the new Sri Lankan Government

New Indian Express  

In 2024, Sri Lanka witnessed seismic political shifts. In the second half of this year, voters installed a hitherto untried president and a new government, with the fervent hope that the old order should give way to a better new order. It’s taken the rather conservative Sri Lankan voters 76 years to move away from feudal parties and experiment with …

What Dissanayake's JVP sweeping Sri Lankan parliament polls means for India
1 month, 1 week ago

What Dissanayake's JVP sweeping Sri Lankan parliament polls means for India

Firstpost  

To date, no single entity, whether global or otherwise, has extended funds and facilities to Sri Lanka the way India has done—and that too without strings For the third time in a row, Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha became the first foreign dignitary to call on Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, AKD, after the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-National People’s …

‘Need a change’: Sri Lanka’s leftist win sparks hopes, bridges old divides
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

‘Need a change’: Sri Lanka’s leftist win sparks hopes, bridges old divides

Al Jazeera  

President Dissanayake’s party has won a two-thirds majority in parliament, including among Tamils and Muslims. Dissanayake’s National People’s Power won a landslide majority in Thursday’s parliamentary election, securing 159 seats in a house of 225 members – representing a comfortable two-thirds majority. They have shown they need a change from the old politics.” Vote for change According to political analyst …

Why Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election today matters for its future
1 month, 1 week ago

Why Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election today matters for its future

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The parliamentary election in Sri …

Sri Lankan president seeks party win in parliamentary election to help him push his economic reforms
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lankan president seeks party win in parliamentary election to help him push his economic reforms

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is looking to consolidate his party’s power in Thursday’s parliamentary election to help him implement his election pledges to solve the country’s economic woes and foster good governance. The election comes at a decisive time for Sri Lankans, as the island nation emerges from its worst economic crisis, having declared …

Ramification | Sri Lanka: First presidential election after economic crisis and all weather Colombo-Delhi ties
3 months, 1 week ago

Ramification | Sri Lanka: First presidential election after economic crisis and all weather Colombo-Delhi ties

Firstpost  

Irrespective of the outcome of the election, India, as it has done in the past, will continue to support Sri Lanka in its economic recovery President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena gesture as they arrive at the Election Commission in Rajagiriya to submit his nomination papers for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for September 21, in Colombo, Sri …

Rajapaksas to launch political comeback bid in Sri Lanka
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Rajapaksas to launch political comeback bid in Sri Lanka

Deccan Chronicle  

Sri Lanka's powerful Rajapaksa clan, which suffered political battering due to the country's worst economic crisis in 2022, will launch its political comeback bid on Sunday by targeting the impending elections. Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, ex-prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa were ousted from power during anti-government protests following the crippling financial and political crisis in …

Sri Lankan Opposition JVP leader meets Jaishankar, Doval
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Sri Lankan Opposition JVP leader meets Jaishankar, Doval

The Hindu  

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of Sri Lanka’s leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, who is currently visiting India on New Delhi’s invitation, on Monday met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, in an indication of the Union government’s high-level engagement with the 55-year-old opposition politician. “In our meeting with Mr. Doval, we discussed regional security and bilateral …

Sri Lanka's Opposition Parties Divided on Ethnic Reconciliation of Tamil Minority
1 year, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka's Opposition Parties Divided on Ethnic Reconciliation of Tamil Minority

News 18  

Sri Lanka’s opposition parties on Tuesday stood divided over their participation in the all-party conference called by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday on the National Reconciliation Programme that seeks to address the thorny issue of ethnic reconciliation of minority Tamils in the island nation. Wickremesinghe prior to his Delhi visit had agreed to the full implementation of the 13th Amendment …

Sri Lanka postpones local body polls citing financial crunch
1 year, 9 months ago

Sri Lanka postpones local body polls citing financial crunch

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s Election Commission on Friday said the country’s local government elections, scheduled for March 9, stands postponed due to reasons “beyond” its control. The new date for the local body polls will be announced on March 3, the Election body said in a media statement. On Thursday, he told Parliament that his priority was “rebuilding the economy, and not …

Little to celebrate in Sri Lanka at 75
1 year, 10 months ago

Little to celebrate in Sri Lanka at 75

The Hindu  

Controversy looms over Sri Lanka’s celebration of the 75th anniversary of its Independence, with a question having been raised on whether it is worth wasting Sri Lankan rupees 300 million on this event. The Left critique shared the Sinhala nationalist argument that political independence secured by the local elites was incomplete, arguing that only a socialist republic would ensure full …

Sri Lanka introduces bill to clip presidential powers
2 years, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka introduces bill to clip presidential powers

The Independent  

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Sri Lanka to hold crucial talks on formation of all-party government to combat economic meltdown
2 years, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka to hold crucial talks on formation of all-party government to combat economic meltdown

Firstpost  

Sri Lanka’s newly-elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday invited the political parties to form an all-party government to overcome the current economic crisis as the Parliament reconvened after a seven-day adjournment Colombo: The crucial talks on the possibility of forming an all-party government to tackle Sri Lanka’s economic meltdown will take place on Friday evening, officials and political leaders here …

Sri Lanka's main Tamil minority party extends support to Wickremesinghe's call for all-party government – Firstpost
2 years, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka's main Tamil minority party extends support to Wickremesinghe's call for all-party government – Firstpost

Firstpost  

Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called upon all the major parties of the countries to come together to form a national unity government to mitigate the ongoing crisis Colombo: Sri Lanka’s main Tamil minority party TNA on Monday announced that it will support President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s efforts to form an all-party national government to help the bankrupt country to …

United they stand for their land
2 years, 4 months ago

United they stand for their land

New Indian Express  

While there is no visible political leadership to the ‘Janatha Aragalaya’, it is too good to be true that a cross-section of Sri Lankan masses just assembled at the seat of power without any mobilisation. But parties like the JVP and its breakaway faction, the Frontline Socialist party, have been quietly getting the masses together. When consumer prices shot to …

Centre to hold all-party meeting on Sri Lanka crisis tomorrow
2 years, 5 months ago

Centre to hold all-party meeting on Sri Lanka crisis tomorrow

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: The Centre announced on Sunday that an all-party meeting will be held on Tuesday evening at the Parliament House Annexe in New Delhi on the situation in neighbouring cash-strapped Sri Lanka, which is facing a grave economic crisis. At the all-party meeting on Sunday on the eve of the Monsoon Session starting Monday, both major Tamil Nadu parties …

In Sri Lanka, no quiet after the storm
2 years, 5 months ago

In Sri Lanka, no quiet after the storm

The Hindu  

Even after the fall of his official residence and the Presidential Secretariat into the hands of protesting citizens, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tried to defy the massive public pressure on him to resign. Abolishing Sri Lanka’s much-hated executive presidential system of government through a comprehensive package of political reforms will have to be a priority in the policy agenda …

A crescendo that felled Lanka’s most powerful
2 years, 5 months ago

A crescendo that felled Lanka’s most powerful

Hindustan Times  

July 9 was a watershed day in Sri Lanka’s political history when tens of thousands of its citizens flooded Colombo, breached three iconic seats of political power, and pushed the president and prime minister to agree to resign from office. July 13, however, brought forth a more volatile mix of emotions – relief at the exit of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who …

Sri Lanka protesters reject all-party gov’t, want Rajapaksas out
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka protesters reject all-party gov’t, want Rajapaksas out

Al Jazeera  

Protesters say no to an all-party government being discussed by politicians, saying it will be a way for the ‘Rajapaksa cartel’ to remain in power. Melani Gunathilake, 35, said the protest leaders strongly oppose an all-party government, a move in her view for the “Rajapaksa cartel” to control the government from behind the scenes. Establishing a new constitution that endorses …

The uprising: on ongoing protests in Sri Lanka
2 years, 5 months ago

The uprising: on ongoing protests in Sri Lanka

The Hindu  

Public wrath is paving the way for momentous changes in Sri Lanka. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose secretariat was overrun by thousands of people and his official residence occupied by boisterous protesters, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose private residence was set ablaze, have both expressed readiness to resign. Mr. Rajapaksa, the main target of the people’s unbridled anger, has conveyed …

Bolster democratic forces in Sri Lanka
2 years, 5 months ago

Bolster democratic forces in Sri Lanka

Hindustan Times  

A weeks-long simmering protest in Sri Lanka boiled over this weekend as groups of protesters broke through police and law enforcement barricades and barged into the presidential palace, forcing president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to announce that he will be resigning later this week. With Mr Rajapaksa out, former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa forced to flee his residence weeks ago, and former …

What Do Popular Protests in Sri Lanka Amid Crisis Mean for the Future?
2 years, 5 months ago

What Do Popular Protests in Sri Lanka Amid Crisis Mean for the Future?

News 18  

There is no parallel in the South Asian region to what happened in Sri Lanka over the weekend even if nations like Pakistan and Bangladesh had experienced prolonged popular protests, egged on by the political Opposition, against the government leadership of the day. On Saturday, 9 July 2022, exactly 60 days after the people’s ‘struggle’, or ‘Aragalaya’ in Sinhala, had …

Sri Lanka parties scramble to form all party govt.
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka parties scramble to form all party govt.

The Hindu  

Political parties in Sri Lanka are scrambling to form an all-party government, a day after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe pledged to resign in the wake of historic citizens’ protest. Sri Lankans are living through a harrowing economic collapse, with accessing essentials such as fuel, food, and medicines becoming an everyday battle Watch | Visitors Crowd Sri …

Sri Lanka’s ‘picturesque’ protests
2 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka’s ‘picturesque’ protests

Al Jazeera  

Every time there is a crisis in the Global South, Western news organisations parachute their correspondents and photographers in to document the developments. This has largely been the case with the international coverage of Sri Lanka’s ongoing protests demanding that the ruling Rajapaksa family leave office. This is nothing unique to Sri Lanka – we often see similar narratives of …

Sri Lanka’s worker unions go on mass strike asking govt to quit
2 years, 7 months ago

Sri Lanka’s worker unions go on mass strike asking govt to quit

The Hindu  

Several hundred worker unions in Sri Lanka on Thursday went on a mass strike, backing ongoing citizens’ protests calling for the resignation of the ruling Rajapaksa brothers, as the country battles one of its worst economic crises. “If President Gotabaya Rajapaksa does not heed the call of the people’s struggle within seven days, we will continue agitating until he steps …

Photos: A ‘Gota-Go Village’ to seek Sri Lanka president’s removal
2 years, 8 months ago

Photos: A ‘Gota-Go Village’ to seek Sri Lanka president’s removal

Al Jazeera  

On a patch of grass near Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office in capital Colombo, about two dozen tents have been erected in a small but growing camp that is becoming the focal point of national protests. On a handwritten board next to the tents, not far from the colonial-era presidential building adjoining Colombo’s waterfront, stands the sign: “Gota-Go Village”. …

Sri Lanka Economic Crisis: Prez Gotabaya Sacks Brother & FinMin Basil, Invites All Parties to Form ‘Unity Govt’
2 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka Economic Crisis: Prez Gotabaya Sacks Brother & FinMin Basil, Invites All Parties to Form ‘Unity Govt’

News 18  

Sri Lanka Economic Crisis: Sri Lanka’s president offered to share power with the opposition on Monday as protests escalated across the country demanding his resignation over worsening shortages of food, fuel and medicines. Sri Lanka’s entire cabinet aside from the president and his sibling prime minister resigned from their posts Sunday as the ruling political clan seeks to resolve a …

Sri Lanka: How interim government may be the best way out for stability, continuity and fiscal management
2 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka: How interim government may be the best way out for stability, continuity and fiscal management

Firstpost  

The weekend protests across the nation, purportedly launched as a people’s movement but had the unveiled support and organisational inputs of the Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya, may have been the best thing that could have happened to Sri Lanka, caught in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis, snowballing into a political stalemate. The list included all three of Gota’s …

Watch | Sri Lanka Crisis: Opposition holds protest defying curfew
2 years, 8 months ago

Watch | Sri Lanka Crisis: Opposition holds protest defying curfew

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya on Sunday held a protest at Colombo’s Independence Square, defying a curfew imposed by the government that faces sharp criticism over its response to the country’s worsening economic crisis. Over the past week, citizen’s protests have intensified across Sri Lanka, amid a persisting shortage of food supplies and fuel, soaring prices of …

As Sri Lanka crisis worsens, hundreds march to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house
2 years, 8 months ago

As Sri Lanka crisis worsens, hundreds march to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house

The Hindu  

Hundreds of angry protestors gathered outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private residence in Colombo late on Thursday night, after the island experienced a 13-hour-long power cut amid Sri Lanka’s worsening economic meltdown. Triggered by a long-brewing Balance of Payments problem, that heightened after the pandemic and led to a dollar crunch late last year, the crisis swiftly escalated from the beginning …

Sri Lanka opposition protests economic distress, shortage in massive Colombo demonstration
3 years, 1 month ago

Sri Lanka opposition protests economic distress, shortage in massive Colombo demonstration

The Hindu  

Thousands mobilised by Sri Lanka’s main Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya on November 16 took to the streets in capital Colombo, protesting mounting economic woes and a shortage of essentials. In one of the biggest public assertions of the SJB since the Rajapaksas’ Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna swept the November 2019 Presidential elections and August 2020 Parliamentary elections, Leader of …

Sri Lanka General Elections 2020 | Opposition suffers huge setback
4 years, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka General Elections 2020 | Opposition suffers huge setback

The Hindu  

The likely decisive parliamentary majority secured by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna in the island nation’s recent general elections is set to change its political landscape in significant ways. Chief casualty Meanwhile, the chief casualty of the poll appears to be the United National Party, one of Sri Lanka’s oldest parties led by former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. Apparently recognising this, …

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