Rajapakse fails to reverse Sri Lanka's January ‘revolution’ in parliamentary poll
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Final results in Sri Lanka’s elections show Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) more than doubling its seats. He said that the outcome was an endorsement of the "8 January revolution", when long-time leader Mahinda Rajapakse was defeated in a presidential poll by one of his own former ministers, Maithripala Sirisena.
“General elections in Sri Lanka were the least violent in four decades,” according to Rajit Tannakoon, the chairman of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections.
The UNP more than doubled its numbers in the 225-seat parliament from 40 to 106 in Monday's election, leaving it just short of an absolute majority.
Wickremesinghe is now expected to form the next government, although he will need to rely on other parties to get laws, including democratic reforms promised at the presidential poll in January, passed.
Rajapakse's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won 95 seats, losing strength in parliament and finding itself with no obvious allies to form a coalition government.
The electorate of Sri Lanka consists of about 75 per cent ethnic Sinhalese, the other quarter of the population being Muslims or Tamils, who can tip the balance if the Sinhalese vote is divided.
Tamils voted massively against Rajapakse, accusing him of brutality in the methods used to end the war between Tamil rebels and the government in 2009.
Rajapakse blocked investigations into war crimes but this may now change.
“We haven’t seen a very definitive support for any international investigation by Mr [Maithripala] Sirisena, or by Mr [Ranil] Wickremesinghe of the other side either,” says Charulata Hogg, an analyst with Chatham House.
“The discourse is essentially about the domestic mechanism for accountability and a transitional justice mechanism which was supported by Mr. Rajipakse’s opponents. Essentially, there will be a promotion of some form of domestic accountability but we are very far away from a full fledged international war crimes inquiry."
As a result of Colombo’s unwillingness to cooperate with investigations into war crime allegations, the US and the EU cut off aid.
Rajapakse then began to lean heavily on aid from Iran, Libya and China.
Beijing started to heavily invest in massive infrastructural projects, such as a deep sea port.
But that tide may change, too.
“A major inquiry was launched into the major Chinese investment in the port and there were strong allegations of corruption which are being currently investigated,” according to Hogg.
“On the other hand there is an approach between [Sri Lanka and] India and European countries. There’s a proposal to regain special tariffs, accorded by the EU before they were withdrawn on grounds of human rights violations”
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