Collapse of the Traditional Two Party System
The presidential election scheduled to be held on September 21 is likely to mark a significant milestone in Sri Lankan political history. The popular sentiment that dominates the public psyche during the…
Politics and Governance
SJB and NPP/JVP Lead in General Election Voting Intent
The latest estimates of general election voting intent from Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) SLOTS MRP model show no substantial changes in August compared to the previous month. The SJB and NPP/JVP…
No Presidential Candidate Has Pledged to Repeal the Online Safety Act
The presidential election is just six days away. It is said that three candidates are leading among the contenders – Anura Dissanayake, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa. All three claim that they…
The Pivotal Moment and the Long Game
Frankl The US and Sri Lanka are in synchronized election cycles. Eight years ago I wrote an article called “US And Them” about certain correlations which were then observable. So much has…
An Incumbency Bias: Mainstream Media’s Election Coverage on Twitter
Based on my previous study of looking at how Sri Lankan partisans on Twitter perceived their favoured presidential candidate, and opponents, I wanted to establish how mainstream media (MSM) accounts on the…
Cats That Won’t be Belled
“Wrath” is the opening word of . Wrath is a key driver of the upcoming presidential election. People are angry at political leaders for bankrupting the country. Hopefully, the anger is accompanied…
Abolition of the Executive Presidency: A Voters’ Policy Guide to the 2024 Presidential Election
What is the executive presidential system under the 1978 Constitution? A President directly elected for a fixed term is the Head of State and the Head of Government who exercises the executive…
A.K. Dissanayake Leads in Presidential Election Voting Intent
The Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) MRP provisional estimates of presidential election voting intent for August 2024 show NPP/JVP leader A.K. Dissanayake and SJB leader Sajith…
Affirmative Action Vital to Increase Women’s Participation in Politics
It is an enduring stain on Sri Lanka’s democracy and gender equality that only 4.8 percent of parliamentarians are women despite their high literacy rate and educational levels. To correct this imbalance,…
Changes in Support for the Leading Presidential Candidates
In first half of 2024, the most notable changes in voting intent were the rise in support for President Ranil Wickremesinghe as a potential presidential candidate at the apparent expense of support…
Time for Sri Lanka to Chart a New Course on Human Rights
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Sri Lanka to break from the past and chart a new course. Addressing the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council…
Grave Implications of Gun Violence
Gun violence is a prevalent issue that has challenged many countries around the world including Sri Lanka. Guns, a weapon mainly used by armed forces to maintain the peace and security of…
The Hard Truth: Supporting Ranil Now Could Trigger the Next Crisis
moneycontrol The most recent Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey for July 2024 shows a tight race in the upcoming presidential election. NPP/JVP leader A.K. Dissanayake and SJB…
Media During Elections: Watchdogs or Wheeler-Dealers?
With a record number of candidates (38) contesting Sri Lanka’s presidential election, voters are yet to witness what new stories (and old stories) these 38 players bring to the table. After all, from…
The NPP, the JVP and the Realities of Communist Party Governance
As Sri Lanka approaches a critical election many citizens, disillusioned with the incumbent government and the economic crisis, are pinning their hopes on the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance. The NPP, particularly…
