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Wickremesinghe's Premiership Unlikely to Douse Sri Lanka's Political Crisis, Expert Says
Wickremesinghe's Premiership Unlikely to Douse Sri Lanka's Political Crisis, Expert Says
Sputnik International
Sri Lanka's parliament will elect the next President on Wednesday, with Ranil Wickremesinghe facing joint opposition candidate Dullas Alahapperuma in a tightly... 19.07.2022, Sputnik International
2022-07-19T15:20+0000
2022-07-19T15:20+0000
2024-03-11T10:57+0000
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Sputnik spoke with Marlon Ariyasinghe, a Colombo-based senior assistant editor of Himal Southasian and a political commentator, on the upcoming election and its possible implications.Sputnik: Several online surveys conducted by journalists independently show Ranil Wickremesinghe leading the presidential race. As the nomination is finalized, how do you see the election now?Marlon: The nominations are finalized. We have three candidates – acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Dullas Alahapperuma, who was part of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), and Anura Kumara Dissanayake (NPP). Alahapperuma has teamed up with Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajitha Premadasa, who withdrew his presidential bid today. Dissanayake is the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which is part of a larger alliance: the National People’s Power (NPP).There have been a lot of surveys and Twitter polls conducted by leading journalists of the country and other parties. Some of them show Wickremesinghe leading, while others show Alahapperuma /Premadasa leading. But I don’t think we can place a lot of importance on these polls because the sample size is relatively small.In any case, this is not a presidential election where the people vote for their preferred choice. This vote will take place in the parliament.The elections will be hotly contested between the two main candidates as of now, i.e., Wickremesinghe and Alahapperuma. Alahapperuma’s candidacy indicates a clear division within the governing party of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). The chairman of SLPP, G.L. Peiris, said the party would support Alahapperuma and Premadasa in the elections.It is difficult to predict who will win because the numbers are not very clear. We don’t know how many MPs Alahapperuma will bring to the table. At the end of the day, this is a numbers game, and it feels like Alahapperuma and Premadasa may not have the numbers yet.Sputnik: Protesters have opposed Ranil's candidacy. Do you think this will have an impact on the election outcome?Marlon: Protesters opposed Ranil Wickremesinghe's appointment as prime minister two months ago, his appointment as acting president, and now his candidacy for president. The rallying cry of the protesters was ‘Go Home Gota,’ but there was also a call for Ranil to resign as well.This is crucial to understanding the election outcome tomorrow because I feel that the protests may continue if Ranil Wickremesinghe is elected as president.Sputnik: What are the reasons for the last-minute withdrawal by Sajith Premadasa? Do you think Sajith has a chance to become prime minister with executive powers?Marlon: Premadasa withdrew because he does not have numbers. The majority is SLPP, meaning he cannot be president. It was necessary for them to form this alliance to take over governance.This is why Sajith Premadasa withdrew from the candidacy after coming to an understanding with Alahapperuma and the dissident SLPP group. Today, they made a joint statement stating that they came together because this was the need of the hour to fulfill the people’s mandate.Sputnik: How much political stability can a new president bring, given the country's unprecedented economic crisis?Marlon: Sri Lankans are holding their breath and waiting to see what will happen tomorrow, because it will significantly impact the future of this country in terms of political and economic stability. It is paramount that political stability is established in order to bring in some form of economic stability. This was at the heart of the protests.The economic crisis brought people onto the streets, which included power cuts and fuel shortages. But they realize that the country needs political stability to move forward.Protesters have announced that they will not support the government led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, whom they see as an extension of Rajapaksas.So, in my opinion, the appointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe might lead to the continuation of the protests.Sputnik: What if Ranil wins the elections? Do you think protests will prolong the economic crisis of the country?Marlon: Today evening, at the main protest site in Colombo, protestors burnt an effigy of Ranil Wickremasinghe. So there is a good chance his appointment will not appease the protestors and the general public, who will see this as a continuation of the status quo.They want a systems change. But they know that there are practical impediments. E.g., there needs to be an election to determine whether the people’s mandate has changed, and there is strong evidence to suggest that people from all over Sri Lanka are not satisfied with the current crop of parliamentarians.Sri Lankans are suffering and exhausted, and they would want some form of stability, and they are aware that political stability is paramount for any semblance of economic stability.
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Wickremesinghe's Premiership Unlikely to Douse Sri Lanka's Political Crisis, Expert Says
15:20 GMT 19.07.2022 (Updated: 10:57 GMT 11.03.2024) Sri Lanka's parliament will elect the next President on Wednesday, with Ranil Wickremesinghe facing joint opposition candidate Dullas Alahapperuma in a tightly contested race. The presidential election is being held after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country last week as protesters stormed the president's official residence.
Sputnik spoke with Marlon Ariyasinghe, a Colombo-based senior assistant editor of Himal Southasian and a political commentator, on the upcoming election and its possible implications.
Sputnik: Several online surveys conducted by journalists independently show Ranil Wickremesinghe leading the presidential race. As the nomination is finalized, how do you see the election now?
Marlon: The nominations are finalized. We have three candidates – acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Dullas Alahapperuma, who was part of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), and Anura Kumara Dissanayake (NPP).
Alahapperuma has teamed up with Sri Lankan opposition leader
Sajitha Premadasa, who withdrew his presidential bid today.
Dissanayake is the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which is part of a larger alliance: the National People’s Power (NPP).
There have been a lot of surveys and Twitter polls conducted by leading journalists of the country and other parties. Some of them show Wickremesinghe leading, while others show Alahapperuma /Premadasa leading. But I don’t think we can place a lot of importance on these polls because the sample size is relatively small.
In any case, this is not a presidential election where the people vote for their preferred choice. This vote will take place in the parliament.
The elections will be hotly contested between the two main candidates as of now, i.e., Wickremesinghe and Alahapperuma. Alahapperuma’s candidacy indicates a clear division within the governing party of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). The chairman of SLPP, G.L. Peiris, said the party would support Alahapperuma and Premadasa in the elections.
However, Wickremesinghe has a lot of support within the government, including the Rajapaksas and the MPs who are partial to the family.
It is difficult to predict who will win because the numbers are not very clear. We don’t know how many MPs Alahapperuma will bring to the table. At the end of the day, this is a numbers game, and it feels like Alahapperuma and Premadasa may not have the numbers yet.
Sputnik: Protesters have opposed Ranil's candidacy. Do you think this will have an impact on the election outcome?
Marlon: Protesters opposed
Ranil Wickremesinghe's appointment as prime minister two months ago, his appointment as acting president, and now his candidacy for president.
The rallying cry of the protesters was ‘Go Home Gota,’ but there was also a call for Ranil to resign as well.
The July 9 protests saw Sri Lankans from all over the island come to Colombo to demand both resignations.
This is crucial to understanding the election outcome tomorrow because I feel that the protests may continue if Ranil Wickremesinghe is elected as president.
Sputnik: What are the reasons for the last-minute withdrawal by Sajith Premadasa? Do you think Sajith has a chance to become prime minister with executive powers?
Marlon: Premadasa withdrew because he does not have numbers. The majority is SLPP, meaning he cannot be president. It was necessary for them to form this alliance to take over governance.
This is why Sajith Premadasa withdrew from the candidacy after coming to an understanding with Alahapperuma and the dissident SLPP group. Today, they made a joint statement stating that they came together because this was the need of the hour to fulfill the people’s mandate.
Sputnik: How much political stability can a new president bring, given the country's unprecedented economic crisis?
Marlon: Sri Lankans are holding their breath and waiting to see what will happen tomorrow, because it will significantly impact the future of this country in terms of
political and economic stability.
It is paramount that political stability is established in order to bring in some form of economic stability. This was at the heart of the protests.
The economic crisis brought people onto the streets, which included power cuts and fuel shortages. But they realize that the country needs political stability to move forward.
Protesters have announced that they will not support the government led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, whom they see as an extension of Rajapaksas.
So, in my opinion, the appointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe might lead to the continuation of the protests.
Sputnik: What if Ranil wins the elections? Do you think protests will prolong the economic crisis of the country?
Marlon: Today evening, at the main protest site in Colombo, protestors burnt an effigy of Ranil Wickremasinghe. So there is a good chance his appointment will not appease the protestors and the general public, who will see this as a continuation of the status quo.
They want a systems change. But they know that there are practical impediments. E.g., there needs to be an election to determine whether the people’s mandate has changed, and there is strong evidence to suggest that people from all over Sri Lanka are not satisfied with the current crop of parliamentarians.
Sri Lankans are suffering and exhausted, and they would want some form of stability, and they are aware that political stability is paramount for any semblance of economic stability.
