Specialist conference
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In 2024, Sri Lanka faced two major national elections, the first since the mass street protests that led to the ousting of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022. This September, Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power (NPP) won the presidential election. Shortly after, parliament was dissolved, and snap general elections were held on 14 November 2024. The NPP won a historic super majority, securing 159 seats of the 225-member parliament.
In office, the NPP has maintained the 17th International Monetary Fund Extended Fund Facility that began in 2023. Certain early policy signals, such as reviewing Indian connectivity projects and halting the privatisation of Sri Lankan Airlines and the Ceylon Electricity Board, suggest a potential shift in policy direction. These moves reflect the NPP’s efforts to balance its ideological commitments with practical governance needs. The NPP has also pledged to address key issues, including the 2015 Central Bank bond scam and the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, as part of its broader agenda to deliver justice and ‘system change’. The NPP has expressed its ambition for deep structural reforms, including drafting a new constitution, abolishing the executive presidency and exploring power devolution beyond the 13th Amendment, which many see as imposed by India during Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict. Implementing these reforms requires a two-thirds majority, which the NPP has now secured.
In parliament, the main opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, has secured 40 seats, while the New Democratic Front has secured 5 seats, and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (the Rajapaksa’s political party) managed to secure only 3 seats. The largest Tamil political party, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi secured eight seats, with the NPP making significant gains in the minority-dominant areas.
This ISAS-KAS roundtable will explore the key trends and implications of the evolving political landscape in Sri Lanka.
Here you will find the program for download: ISAS KAS Roundtable - 26 Nov 2024 - Programme.pdf
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