After Gotabaya, the Deluge?
“Slip slidin’ away, Slip slidin’ away…” Paul Simon No astrologer in Sri Lanka reached such dizzy heights as Sumanadasa Abeygunawardane. He predicted for the Rajapaksas the future they wanted and was rewarded with power…
Elections
Is There a Credible Political Alternative for Sri Lanka?
Why do Sri Lankan voters elect and re-elect corrupt and discredited politicians? This topic has been much talked about and commented on in newspapers and social media ever since Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in…
With Diluted Powers, the Election Commission Faces a Daunting Task
Universal franchise is the right of all qualified citizens irrespective of their race, religion, language, ethnicity, caste, education, ownership of wealth, birth, the place of birth, gender or any other difference to…
The End of Free and Fair Elections
The proposed 20th amendment will be the death of free and fair elections in Sri Lanka. The study of political communications and digital propaganda for over a decade leaves no room for…
The US Presidential Election of November, 2020 | Part 2
The looming presidential election of the first week of November, 2020 draws some resemblances to that which confronted John F. Kennedy in the build up to the November 1960 presidential election. Although…
The US Presidential Election of November, 2020 | Part 1
The US presidential election is due in November this year. For people in Sri Lanka, as in much of the globe, that would be among the most relevant political events of the…
Misleading the Opposition, Misreading the SJB-UNP-JVP
Photo courtesy of Sri Lanka Mirror It’s a simple question. Why, in the face of utter electoral destruction, doesn’t the UNP choose a new leader through a secret ballot? That question alone,…
The Best and The Worst – 2020 General Elections
Photo courtesy of The Diplomat The general elections on 5 August turned out to be an outstanding victory for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the Rajapaksa Family and the Sinhala Buddhist nationalists…
A Major Shift in Sri Lanka’s Politics
The results of Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election held on Wednesday show a seismic shift in the country’s electoral map as well as the balance of political power in the new legislature. The…
Election 2020 – An Analysis and Trends
The general election to parliament is concluded and the official results are out. The anticipated landslide victory to the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has materialised with the SLPP winning a…
Violence and Abuse Deter Women From Entering Politics
The Daily Mirror In a country that produced the world’s first female head of state 60 years ago and has since seen the election of a female as its executive president, women…
What’s in the 19th Amendment For Me?
The true value and effectiveness of the 19th Amendment for improving governance in Sri Lanka has been a matter of debate for some time now. Political representatives and political parties have expressed…
Has COVID-19 Changed the Election Landscape?
This week, Sri Lanka will have a new, or perhaps not-so-new, Parliament. Given the unusual circumstances in which the elections will be held this time, it is useful to look at the…
The Last Days of the Nineteenth Amendment?
These could be the last days of the Nineteenth Amendment. If not of its entirety, at least of a part of it, even a substantial part of it. The message that the…
An Agenda to Centralise Power
The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) handsomely won November’s presidential election with 52% of the popular vote and is accordingly the clear favourite and front runner to secure victory at the…