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Sri Lanka’s newly elected president Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday swore in his elder brother, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, as prime minister, cementing the powerful family’s political comeback.  The appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa, 74, came hours after the former premier Ranil Wickremesinghe tendered his resignation following the defeat of his party’s candidate in a presidential election to Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the weekend. It is the first time in Sri Lankan history that two siblings have held the two top political positions, although Mahinda is only in charge of a caretaker government until parliamentary elections next year.  In a ceremony in the capital Colombo, Gotabaya swore in his brother as their respective wives, sons and daughters-in-law looked on.  “I wish to congratulate and extend my warmest wishes to Hon Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister of the Democratic, Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,” Gotabaya tweeted afterwards. Gotabaya, 70, had earlier served as defence chief under his brother Mahinda, who himself served as president from 2005-2015. Mahinda, who had been Sri Lanka’s opposition leader since January, has held the prime minister’s post twice before. He is set to be his party’s candidate in a parliamentary election expected around April. The former president, popular with the Sinhalese majority for overseeing the end of a 26-year long civil war, is broadly seen as a shoo-in. “The Rajapaksa brand, as evidenced by the election, remains extremely strong,” said Akhil Bery, Eurasia’s South Asia analyst, adding that Mahinda is perceived to be even more popular than his younger brother. The siblings face a tall order to revive Sri Lanka’s economy, which is in its deepest slump in nearly two decades following Easter Sunday attacks that killed over 250 people in churches and hotels.  That hurt the rupee and the all-important tourism sector. Gotabaya, who oversaw the defeat of Tamil separatists as his brother’s defence chief a decade ago, won the election after promising to secure the country against militant threats. His economic manifesto targets average growth of at least 6.5%, compared with 3.2% in 2018, but economists are worried his plans may strain coffers. Managing a record $3bn in annual external debt repayments over the next five years will be another challenge. Some investors see Rajapaksa as an experienced hand who will bring political stability to the island. Sri Lanka’s stock index and rupee currency have gained 1.9% and 0.5% respectively since his election. Rights groups and minorities, however, accuse the Rajapaksas of human rights violations during the war and have expressed concerns of renewed ethnic tensions following the elections. The brothers have denied wrongdoing.

Newly elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday named his brother Mahinda as prime minister, cementing the grip on power of a clan credited with crushing the Tamil Tigers a decade ago. Mahinda, a two-term president himself, is due to be sworn in as premier today following the resignation of Ranil Wickremesinghe after his party suffered a humiliating defeat at the weekend’s presidential polls. The Rajapaksa brothers are credited with brutally destroying the Tamil Tigers to end Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war, with the security services they controlled accused of war crimes and multiple human rights abuses. A spokesman for the new administration said Rajapaksa, 74, will be sworn in by his younger brother Gotabaya, aged 70. Two other brothers, Basil and Chamal, are also active in politics. “Prime Minister Rajapaksa will have his cabinet appointed shortly after taking his oath of office,” said spokesman Vijayananda Herath. Gotabaya was defence secretary under Mahinda during his decade as president which ended in January 2015.  With the older Rajapaksa taking over as prime minister, Sri Lanka will for the first time have two brothers at the helm. During the first Mahinda presidency, the eldest brother Chamal was the speaker of parliament. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe formally announced his resignation Wednesday clearing the way for the Rajapaksas to form a minority government ahead of possible snap elections early next year. “Although we enjoy a parliamentary majority, we respect the mandate received by Rajapaksa and we have decided to allow him to form a new government,” Wickremesinghe said in an address to the nation. Wickremesinghe, 70, said he informed the new president about quitting on Thursday, allowing a new minority government to be formed. “The prime minister will have a final meeting with his cabinet as well as other leaders of his coalition before addressing the nation to announce his resignation,” his spokesman Sudarshana Gunawardana said earlier in the day. Wickremesinghe’s party put forward Sajith Premadasa in the presidential election but was soundly beaten by Gotabaya in a highly divisive election in the island nation of 21.6mn. The Rajapaksas, are adored by the Sinhala-Buddhist majority – but loathed among minority Tamils – for spearheading the defeat of Tamil separatist militants in 2009 to end the 37-year civil war. Around 40,000 Tamil civilians were allegedly killed by the military in the closing stages of the conflict when Gotabaya effectively ran the security forces while his brother was president. During the three-month election campaign held in the shadow of extremist attacks in April, Gotabaya had promised to make his charismatic and popular brother Mahinda his prime minister.

Sri Lanka's new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will swear in his elder brother Mahinda -- a former president himself -- as prime minister, a spokesman told AFP Wednesday. The brothers are credited with brutally crushing the Tamil Tigers a decade ago to end Sri Lanka's civil war, with the security services they controlled accused of war crimes and multiple human rights abuses. Government spokesman Vijayananda Herath said Mahinda Rajapaksa will assume duties as premier soon after incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe steps down on Thursday morning.

The unfinished, purple-headed Lotus Tower soars uselessly into the Colombo sky, mired in corruption allegations – a project typical of China’s misadventures in Sri Lanka under a political dynasty that has just returned to power. With the Rajapaksas clan now back, Beijing will likely be too, experts say. On Monday, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sworn in as president, almost five years after his brother Mahinda’s decade in charge ended in ignominy in 2015 as allegations of corruption and nepotism surfaced. Under Mahinda, who may become prime minister, Sri Lanka secured almost $7bn in loans from China, dislodging Japan as Sri Lanka’s main funder of  infrastructure. But many of the projects have proven to be white elephants, including a $210mn airport that has no commercial flights.  In 2016, troops had to shoo away deer, wild buffalo and  elephants from the site. China also financed a 35,000-seat cricket stadium which seldom hosts matches, a performing arts centre in Colombo with few shows and a misfiring power plant. Some of the money was allocated under Beijing’s gargantuan Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) spanning Asia and beyond and aimed at facilitating trade. Western countries worry that the BRI conceals China’s efforts to expand its influence by loaning nations money only to acquire the assets when they  cannot repay. Hambantota port in southern Sri Lanka, situated on a key maritime trading route between Europe and Asia, is for critics a prime example. In December 2017, Sri Lanka was forced to hand the port over to China on a 99-year lease after failing to service a $1.4bn debt from Beijing to build it.  For the Rajapaksas, who together spearheaded the brutal crushing of Tamil separatists in 2009 – with allegedly 40,000 civilians killed – China also came in handy in other ways. “What the Chinese offered to a regime that was being chastised for its human rights record... was international diplomatic protection as well the funds for development,” analyst Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu said. China meanwhile got a potential strategic toehold, right in India’s backyard. In 2014, two Chinese submarines docked at Colombo. Many of the building projects, like the 350m (1,155ft) Lotus Tower, have been accused of  facilitating corruption. One of the two Chinese companies building the huge flower-shaped structure vanished with an advance of Rs2bn ($18mn), according to outgoing president Maithripala Sirisena. Reputedly South Asia’s tallest free-standing communications tower, it is set to be opened soon – but just for people to enjoy the view, since it’s not  functioning yet. The Rajapaksas say they had to borrow from China because credit was hard to come by elsewhere, and Akhil Bery from think-tank Eurasia said that there is some truth to this. Nor was it “all bad”, Bery said, with the Chinese-funded Colombo International Container Terminal “already profitable”. After Mahinda Rajapaksa lost power in 2015, successive governments attempted to fix some of the projects and bring in  capital from elsewhere. An agreement with China to build a vast commercial district on reclaimed land off Colombo port was renegotiated, and India is in talks about reviving the moribund airport.  Sri Lanka is also negotiating a fresh military co-operation deal with the United States. But these may now be in danger again with the Rajapaksas back in power. Sri Lanka will again now “pivot more firmly into Beijing’s orbit,” Bery said. Financing from elsewhere, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, is available. “(But) China is Sri Lanka’s largest investor and creditor, meaning that a close relationship with China is inevitable,” Bery said. Still, said Jeff Smith, research fellow at US think-tank the Heritage Foundation, Gotabaya may have “learned some lessons from his brother’s tenure”. This includes “that he recognises the downside risks... of excessive dependency on China,” Smith said.

The winner of Sri Lanka’s presidential election, Gotabaya Rajapaksa made national security his top priority after being sworn in yesterday at an ancient temple in the north-central city of Anuradhapura where he received blessings from Buddhist monks. Nicknamed “The Terminator” within his own powerful political family, the 70-year-old former defence chief had made security his top campaign issue for a nation traumatised by the Easter bomb attacks by militants earlier this year. Seen as a champion of the Indian Ocean island’s Buddhist Sinhalese majority, Rajapaksa oversaw the military defeat of Tamil separatists under his brother and then president Mahinda Rajapaksa 10 years ago. “I consider the foremost responsibility of my government is to ensure the national security of my country,” Rajapaksa said in a televised speech at his swearing in ceremony attended by thousands of supporters. “We will rebuild the state security machineries to secure the country from terrorism, underworld activities, robbers, extortionists.” Rajapaksa also promised to protect Sinhala culture and heritage and provide state sponsorship to safeguard the morals, and traditional ways. “As your new president, I request again to join as true Sri Lankans to develop this country,” Rajapaksa, who was dressed in a white short-sleeves shirt and a trouser. Rajapaksa was declared winner in the presidential polls on Sunday after he defeated Sajith Premadasa, a housing minister in the  current government. Millions voted to elect a new president to lead the country out of its deepest economic slump in over 15 years, dragged down by its tourism sector following the April attacks on hotels and churches in which more than 250 people were killed. Islamic State claimed responsibility. The previous government was heavily criticised over the failure of its intelligence agencies to act on information that attacks were being planned. Some 70% of Sri Lanka’s 22mn people are Buddhist Sinhalese, 14% are Tamil Hindus, Muslims make up 10%, while the rest are Catholics and other religions. Rajapaksa, who is seen as close to China, requested all countries to respect Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. “We want to remain neutral in our foreign relations and stay out of any conflicts amongst the world powers,” he said in English during his speech that he gave largely in local Sinhala language.

Sri Lanka's new president and scourge of the Tamil Tigers Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday urged minorities unnerved by his election victory to work with him, as he was sworn in at a ceremony steeped in symbolism for his core supporters. Having spearheaded the brutal end of the Tamil separatist war a decade ago, Rajapaksa is a divisive figure but popular among his own majority Sinhalese-Buddhist community. His landslide win split the island nation of 21.6 million on religious and ethnic lines as never before, seven months after deadly Islamist attacks. Unusually, his inauguration was held at a revered Buddhist shrine with an imposing stupa -- reputedly built by a Sinhalese king who vanquished invading Tamils over 2,000 years ago. At the ceremony, Rajapaksa put his success down to the "extraordinary blessings of the Buddhist monks". "The main message of the election is that it was the Sinhala majority vote that allowed me to win the presidency," the 70-year-old retired lieutenant colonel said. "I knew that I could win with only the votes of the Sinhala majority. But I asked Tamils and Muslims to be a part of my success. Their response was not what I expected. However, I urge them to join me to build one Sri Lanka," he said. Rajapaksa was defence chief under his brother Mahinda's 2005-15 presidency, when the military conducted a no-holds-barred campaign to end the 37-year war in which 100,000 people perished. This makes the brothers heroes among Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority and the powerful Buddhist clergy. But around 40,000 Tamil civilians were allegedly killed in the closing stages of the conflict, which ended in 2009, and Saturday's election saw Tamils -- who account for about 15 percent of the population -- vote overwhelmingly against Rajapaksa. As defence secretary Gotabaya had unfettered control over the security forces, while "death squads" that abducted dozens of dissidents, opponents, journalists and others also allegedly reported to him. Many people were never found again after being bundled into feared white vans, while some were killed and dumped by roadsides. The new president has denied any involvement and has resisted international calls to investigate the alleged war crimes. At his only press conference during a three-month election campaign, Rajapaksa reiterated that he will not allow Sri Lankan troops to be tried by any war-crime tribunal, foreign or local. He had also pledged to exonerate the dozens of military personnel accused of abductions, extortion and killings during his brother's decade in power. The island's Tamils have been campaigning for accountability for war crimes and greater autonomy in areas where Tamils are concentrated. Tamil youth took up arms in 1972 demanding a separate state and their violent guerilla campaign at its height saw them control a third of the country. After being in opposition for nearly five years, Rajapaksa announced his intention to run for the presidency just days after Islamist attacks on April 21 that killed 269 people, promising to protect the nation. The Easter Sunday suicide bombings on three upscale hotels and three churches was carried out by a homegrown outfit from among Sri Lanka's Muslim minority, who make up 10 percent of the population. It shocked the nation, and the world, just as Sri Lankan tourism was booming and as the nation prepared to celebrate a decade since the end of the Tamil separatist war. Rajapakasa insisted that extremists would not have carried out any attacks if he had been in power. He blamed the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for weakening the intelligence apparatus he had built.

Bangladesh is urgently importing onions by air as the price of the essential ingredient in local dishes soared to record highs, an official said yesterday, with even the prime minister chopping the bulb from her menu. The price of onions - a sensitive subject in South Asia where shortages can trigger widespread discontent with political ramifications - has climbed to eye-watering levels in Bangladesh since neighbouring India banned exports in late September after heavy monsoon rains reduced the crop. One kilogramme of the staple vegetable usually costs 30 taka (36 US cents) but has soared to up to 260 taka after the ban was imposed. Hasina’s deputy press secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher said onions were being imported by air freight, and that “Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) said she has stopped using onion in dishes”. None of the dishes at the PM’s residence in Dhaka on Saturday contained onions, he added. Local media reported several onion consignments arrived at a major port in Chittagong city yesterday after Dhaka - facing a public outcry - imported the bulb from Myanmar, Turkey, China and Egypt. The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) is also selling onions at a discounted 45 taka per kg in the capital Dhaka. At the city’s busy Farmgate neighbourhood, hundreds of people queued for hours - some getting into scuffles - to buy the subsidised vegetable. “Even if I have to stand another two hours, I will do that. I can save some 250 taka by buying 1kg of TCB onion. I am standing here because I have to save money,” said Ratan, an English teacher who goes by one name. “I am 41 years old. I have never seen onion prices ever crossing beyond 120 taka.” Sharmin, a housewife who also goes by one name, said she had stopped using onions in her cooking in the past week. “My husband sells piazu (pakora), which needs huge quantity of onion. But after the recent price hike, he stopped selling piazu,” she added. Restaurants have cut onions from their menus and there has been a fall in the sale of deep-fried snacks normally cooked with onions. Bangladesh’s largest opposition party has called for nationwide protests today over the record prices, which they blame on the government.

Sri Lanka’s former civil wartime defence chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa was declared the winner in the presidential election yesterday, after promising to secure the country against militant threats following Easter bombings this year. Rajapaksa, who will be sworn into office in an ancient Buddhist temple today, is the latest nationalist leader to sweep to election victory, tapping into the anger and fears of majority  communities. In his first comments after defeating Sajith Premadasa, a housing minister in the current government, Rajapakse struck a conciliatory note, suggesting he would be leader of all Sri Lankans, regardless of their ethnic and religious identities. “As we usher in a new journey for Sri Lanka, we must remember that all Sri Lankans are part of this journey. Let us rejoice peacefully, with dignity and discipline in the same manner in which we campaigned,” Rajapaksa said in a tweet. The election commission said Rajapaksa won 52.25% of the votes in Saturday’s election, while Premadasa got 41.99%, giving Rajapakse a far bigger lead than predicted by politicians and analysts. Millions voted to elect a new president to lead the country out of its deepest economic slump in over 15 years, dragged down by its tourism sector following the bombings on April 21 which killed more than 250 people. Rajapaksa, 70, oversaw the military defeat of Tamil separatists under his brother and then president Mahinda Rajapakse 10 years ago. He has promised strong leadership to secure the island of 22mn people, the majority of whom are Sinhalese Buddhists. Rajapaksa and his brothers, who are expected to get key positions, are seen as closer to China than Premadasa. China has invested billions of dollars building ports, expressways and power stations in the strategic Indian Ocean island nation. But these projects have also led to high debt levels for Sri Lanka. Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and two other ministers resigned yesterday after the defeat of the ruling party’s candidate in the election. Tamil political parties are strongly opposed to Rajapaksa, who has faced allegations of widespread human rights violations of civilians in the final stages of the war against the  separatists in 2009. Rajapaksa and his brother deny the allegations. Muslims, the other large minority group, say they too have faced hostility since the April attacks on hotels and churches in which more than 250 people were killed. Islamic State claimed responsibility. “His victory shows a division, and this could create more issues specially for other ethnic groups. I don’t know how he will tackle Muslims and Tamils,” said Victor Ivan, a political columnist. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet he looked forward to working with Rajapakse. Sri Lanka, sitting near shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, has become an arena of contest between regional heavyweights India and China. Beijing stepped in for post-war reconstruction after the West and India shunned the Rajapakses because of the allegations of rights violations at the end of the civil war. Now that the family was returning to power, China will likely be the gainer, said an analyst. “We’re likely to see a pivot towards China once again. China is likely very happy that Gota has won,” said Akhil Bery of the Eurasia group. During the campaign, Rajapaksa promised to cut the 15% value added tax by nearly half and abolish some other taxes, as a way to reignite consumption and growth. These cuts could lead to a loss of more than Rs600bn ($3.31bn) in tax revenues, finance ministry officials say, adding to the pressure on public finances at a time when the country is under a $1.5bn, four-year IMF loan programme.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who spearheaded the brutal crushing of Tamil Tigers a decade ago, stormed to power Sunday but promised to be a president for all Sri Lanka's races and religions after a divisive election. Seven months after Islamist extremist attacks that killed 269 people, Rajapaksa was elected on Saturday on the back of a nationalist campaign promising security and to crush religious extremism in the Buddhist-majority country. However, Rajapaksa's triumph will alarm Sri Lanka's Tamil and Muslim minorities as well as activists, journalists and possibly some in the international community following the 2005-15 presidency of his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa. On Sunday Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 70, thanked all voters in an election that heightened ethnic and religious tensions in a country that only a decade ago emerged from a brutal civil war that cost 100,000 lives. "I am conscious that I am also the president of those who used the vote against me," he said as he was formally declared the hands-down winner with 52.25 percent of the vote. "It is my duty to serve all Sri Lankans without race or religious discrimination," he said. "I promise to discharge my duties in a fair manner." Election results showed minority Tamil and Muslim communities voting overwhelmingly for the ruling party candidate Sajith Premadasa who came a distant second with 41.99 percent. Mahinda Rajapaksa, with Gotabaya -- nicknamed "Terminator" by his own family -- effectively running the security forces, ended a 37-year civil war with Tamil separatists. His decade in power was also marked by alleged rights abuses, murky extra-judicial killings and closer ties with China. "I didn't sleep all night," said student Devni, 22, one of around 30 people who gathered outside Rajapaksa's Colombo residence. "I am so excited, he is the president we need." Premadasa, 52, of the ruling party, conceded the race and congratulated Rajapaksa and urged him to implement his manifesto promising tax cuts, free food rations and subsidies to farmers. Rajapaksa is due to be sworn in on Monday at the ancient north-central Buddhist pilgrim city of Anuradhapura. Turnout in Saturday's vote was 83.7 percent. Saturday's poll was the first popularity test of the United National Party (UNP) government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who is under pressure from his cabinet colleagues to step down. Wickremesinghe's administration failed to prevent the April attacks despite prior and detailed intelligence warnings from India, according to a parliamentary investigation. On Sunday three cabinet members resigned -- including Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera. Premadasa is the son of assassinated ex-president Ranasinghe Premadasa who fell victim to a Tamil rebel suicide bomber in May 1993. But Gotabaya is adored by the Sinhalese majority and the powerful Buddhist clergy for how he and Mahinda ended the war in 2009, when 40,000 Tamil civilians allegedly perished at the hands of the army. Under his brother, Gotabaya was defence secretary and effectively ran the security forces, allegedly overseeing "death squads" that bumped off rivals, journalists and others. He denies the allegations. This makes the brothers detested and feared among many Tamils, who make up 15 percent of the population. Some in the Muslim community -- who make up 10 percent -- are also fearful of Gotabaya, having faced days of mob violence in the wake of the April attacks. Under Mahinda, Sri Lanka also borrowed heavily from China for infrastructure projects and even allowed two Chinese submarines to dock in Colombo in 2014, alarming Western countries as well as India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Sunday that India looked forward to "deepening the close and fraternal ties... and for peace, prosperity as well as security in our region". The projects ballooned Sri Lanka's debts and many turned into white elephants -- such as an airport in the south devoid of airlines -- mired in corruption allegations. Unlike in 2015 when there were bomb attacks and shootings, this election was relatively peaceful by the standards of Sri Lanka's fiery politics. The only major incident was on Saturday when gunmen fired at two vehicles in a convoy of at least 100 buses taking Muslim voters to cast ballots. Two people were injured. According to the Election Commission the contest was, however, the worst ever for hate speech and misinformation.

Sri Lankans trickled into polling centres early on Saturday to choose a new president for the island-nation still struggling to recover from Easter Sunday attacks on hotels and churches that have heavily weighed on its tourism-dependent economy. Former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who oversaw the military defeat of Tamil separatists 10 years ago, and government minister Sajith Premadasa are locked in a close fight, politicians and analysts say. Rajapaksa has vowed to overhaul national security, playing on the fears of the majority Sinhalese Buddhists following the April attacks claimed by Islamic State that killed more than 250 people. Premadasa has sought to fire up the countryside with promises of free housing, school uniforms for students and sanitary pads for women - touching on a topic rarely discussed in public anywhere in south Asia but which has drawn women to his rallies. Police said a group of unidentified men opened fire on buses carrying Muslims to a polling station in Anuradhapura district in central Sri Lanka. There were no injuries but witnesses said there were tires burning. At a polling station in Colombo, M. Gunasekera, a 41-year-old homemaker, said the most important problem was widespread corruption and the lack of accountability of politicians. About 16 million people are eligible to vote, with the ballot allowing voters to choose up to three candidates in order of preference. Votes will be counted soon after polling stations close but the results are not expected before Sunday. Muslims who make up nearly 10 percent of Sri Lanka's 22 million population, say they have faced hostility ever since the April attacks. That division has come on top of long-standing grievances of ethnic Tamils, who say they are still to get justice stemming from the human rights violations during a 26-war civil war with Tamil rebels that ended in 2009.

Sri Lankans elect a new president today in a “finely balanced” race between the early favourite, former defence chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and government minister Sajith Premadasa, who has gained momentum in recent weeks. The election comes amid a deep slump in the country following Easter Sunday attacks on hotels and churches by militants that killed over 250 people and sharpened tensions between majority Sinhalese and minority Muslims. Added to that are longstanding grievances of ethnic Tamils, who say they are still to get justice stemming from the human rights violations during a 26-war civil war with Tamil rebels, especially at the closing stages when a UN panel says around 40,000 people were killed. Gotabaya, who oversaw the military rout of Tamil fighters under his brother and then president Mahinda Rajapaksa, has campaigned on a platform of national security, playing on the fears of Sinhalese Buddhists following the April attacks claimed by Islamic State. Premadasa has sought to fire up the countryside with promises of free housing, schools uniforms for students and sanitary pads for women - touching on a topic rarely discussed in public but which has drawn women to his rallies. Both the frontrunners in a field of 35 candidates said they will seek a balance in Sri Lanka’s political and economic ties with China and India that have competed for influence in the island that sits near busy  shipping lanes. However, Rajapakse and his family are seen closer to China, which has led post-civil war reconstruction. There are no opinion polls but political strategists in the two main campaigns, the minority parties and political analysts say the race has become much closer in recent weeks. Initially, Rajapakse was strongly favoured but Premadasa is seen to have closed in on him in the final two weeks of the campaign, they say. An internal assessment shared by a government minister who is supporting the Premadasa campaign shows an edge over Rajapakse after initially trailing him. But Kehelia Rambukwella, the spokesman for the Rajapakse campaign, said yesterday the team was confident of winning. The election is now “finely balanced” between the two frontrunners, Eurasia said in a note. While Gotabaya is banking on the support of the Sinhalese, Premadasa has been assured the support of Tamil parties who strongly oppose a return of the Rajapaksas. Muslims are also concerned they would be targeted in large-scale surveillance and raids that a Gotabaya presidency might bring. “The prospect of a new Rajapakse presidency has heightened ethnic tensions and raised fears among minorities and democratic activists,” said Alan Keenan from the International Crisis Group. About 16mn people are eligible to vote today with the ballot allowing voters to choose up to three candidates in order of  preference. Votes will be counted soon after polling stations close that evening but the results are not expected before tomorrow. Anyone who gets over 50% of votes as first choice will win. If there is no clear winner, authorities will hold a second round of counting to determine the winner through preference votes. One of the challenges the new president will face is to service Sri Lanka’s foreign debt, which stands at 45% of its gross  domestic product. A quarter of the debt is owned to China, which has raised fears of a loss of sovereignty after Sri Lanka was forced to hand over control of the giant Hambantota port in a debt-for-equity swap with Beijing in 2017. “The management of debt is going to be a challenge, we are still paying down the interest on the loans we have taken, we have to start paying the principal, the repayments will rise,” said Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne who is on Premadasa’s campaign. Growth hit a 17-year low of 3.2% in 2018, and the IMF has forecast expansion to fall to 2.7% in 2019 as the Easter Sunday attacks dented tourism and broader business activity. “Given the headwinds facing the economy, we think growth will struggle whoever wins,” said Capital Economics in a note. There might be a slight nudge if Rajapakse wins, reflecting prospect of an upturn in Chinese investment because of his family’s close ties with Beijing, it said.

Police stepped up security across Sri Lanka yesterday over fears of violence on the final day of campaigning for the fiercely contested presidential election, officials said. Elite police commandos reinforced police as the two frontrunners in Saturday’s vote Sajith Premadasa and Gotabhaya Rajapakse held rival rallies in and around Colombo. “There are reports of possible violence,” a senior police official said. “Additional strength has been deployed in vulnerable areas. Sniffer dogs and explosive detectors will also be used at final rallies.” Premadasa, 52, is the son of assassinated president Ranasinghe Premadasa who was targeted by a suicide bomber during a May Day rally in Colombo in 1993. Rajapakse, brother of former president Mahinda Rajapakse, narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack in 2006 blamed on Tamil Tiger separatist rebels. While ethnic tensions have eased, this year the country was rocked by co-ordinated extremist bombings on Easter Sunday that killed at least 269 people. During the election campaign, there were no further such attacks but the Election Commission said there were nearly 30 incidents of violence involving members of rival parties. Private poll monitor, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) said it was peaceful compared to the 2015 election when there were more bomb attacks and shootings. However, PAFFREL chief Rohana Hettiarachchi said there were more incidents of hate speech, disinformation and intimidation on social media as well as radio and television. “We noticed a trend of using social media to issue threats against political opponents,” Hettiarachchi said. Campaigning was to stop at midnight Wednesday (1830 GMT) allowing a two-day cooling-off period before Saturday’s ballot, with results expected on Sunday. Some 16mn people over the age of 18 years are eligible to choose a winner from among a record 35 candidates who include two Buddhist monks and just one woman. The European Union on yesterday despatched 30 additional election observers around the country, joining 50 who have been in Sri Lanka for a month following the campaign. A possible Gotabhaya Rajapakse victory has raised concerns abroad about human rights and a renewed pivot of the strategically located nation towards China. Mahinda and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa are beloved among the majority Sinhalese community for crushing the Tamil Tigers to end Sri Lanka’s 37-year civil war in 2009. The final months of the conflict - when Gotabhaya effectively ran the security forces - however allegedly saw some 40,000 Tamil civilians killed. He is also accused of - and denies - running a “death squad” that allegedly abducted and murdered not only Tamils but also political opponents and journalists after the war ended.  According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in the “dark decade” of Mahinda’s rule, at least 14 journalists “were murdered in connection with  their work”. His government also presided over a ballooning of Sri Lanka’s debts as it borrowed heavily from China for a string of infrastructure projects, many of which are mired in graft allegations. In what for critics is the biggest example of the pitfalls of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in 2017 Sri Lanka gave Beijing a 99-year lease on a port after being unable to service Chinese loans to build it. In 2014, two Chinese submarines docked in Colombo, alarming Western countries - as well as India - worried by Beijing’s growing regional importance and assertiveness. China offered Sri Lanka “international diplomatic protection as well as the funds for development,” analyst Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu said. The Rajapakses “spent and spent without giving any consideration to how it has to be paid back.” Basil Rajapakse, another brother, said yesterday that if Gotabhaya wins Sri Lanka “will work with everybody” on securing investment. Regarding human rights concerns, Western capitals “should give a fair chance to us,” he told reporters. “They can’t be monitors of this country, they must be partners.”

Hundreds of inmates at Sri Lanka’s biggest high-security prison staged a second day of protests yesterday, demanding their freedom after the president pardoned a well-connected man convicted of brutally murdering a Swedish teenager. Jude Jayamaha, convicted of killing Yvonne Jonsson in Colombo in 2005, walked free on Saturday following the highly unusual pardon granted by President Maithripala Sirisena, whose term in office ends this weekend. Police said around 1,000 prisoners had refused on Monday to return to their cells at Welikada prison in Colombo, while four inmates had clambered onto the prison’s roof. An official said police commandos were standing by outside with orders to move  in if necessary. There were reports of a similar protest at another prison in the south of the island. The prisoners are demanding their release on the same terms as Jayamaha, who hails from a wealthy Colombo family with political connections. The victim Jonsson, 19, whose mother was Sri Lankan and father Swedish, was holidaying in Sri Lanka when she was beaten to death in a Colombo high-rise apartment after she and  Jayamaha had an argument.  The trial heard her skull had been fractured into 64 pieces. Sirisena announced the pardon last weekend ahead of Saturday’s presidential election, when he is leaving office. The announcement of the amnesty provoked an angry backlash on social media as well as from mainstream political parties. The ruling party presidential candidate, Sajith Premadasa, said if elected he would consider legal options to overturn  Sirisena’s pardon. “I condemn the action of granting this amnesty,” Premadasa told reporters in Colombo yesterday. “We will examine all legal aspects.” He added: “The release of a murderer does not conform to my set of ethics.” Jayamaha was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison. He appealed to a higher court, which rejected his plea and instead sentenced him to death, which was reaffirmed by the  Supreme Court in 2014. Jonsson’s sister Caroline wrote in a Facebook post about her concerns over Jayamaha’s pardon before the amnesty  announcement. “He showed and continues to show absolutely no remorse for what he has done,” she wrote.

Sri Lanka's president has pardoned a death-row prisoner who murdered a Swedish teenager just a week before he leaves office, officials said Sunday, in a move that sparked national outrage. Convicted killer Jude Jayamaha, from a wealthy, high-profile family, walked out of Welikada prison Saturday following the highly unusual amnesty granted by President Maithripala Sirisena. Sirisena, who is stepping down after Saturday's presidential election at which he is not a candidate, announced last month he was considering a request to grant Jayamaha a pardon. Victim Yvonne Jonsson, who was holidaying in Sri Lanka, was beaten to death at a high-rise apartment in Colombo in 2005 after she and Jayamaha had an argument. The court had been told her skull was fractured into 64 pieces. Jayamaha was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison. He appealed to a higher court, which rejected his plea and instead sentenced him to death, which was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2014. Jonsson's sister Caroline wrote in a Facebook post about her concerns over Jayamaha's pardon before the amnesty announcement. ‘He showed and continues to show absolutely no remorse for what he has done,’ she wrote. ‘We've worked hard to rebuild our lives and here we are, going into 15 years, still fighting for justice. Unfortunately, we now have to prepare ourselves for the worst possible outcome, the pardon of my sister's murderer.’ Many Sri Lankans took to social media to condemn Sirisena. ‘Monstrous act by a failed president,’ said a Twitter user identified as Thass. ‘This news makes me sick,’ added Shamila Cooray. Others speculated Sirisena may have pardoned Jayamaha to test the water ahead of possibly pardoning another high-profile death-row inmate whose family owns radio and television stations that support him. Sirisena failed to secure support from his own party to contest the November 16 election and must leave soon after results are declared, a day or two after the polls.

Sri Lanka’s New Democratic Front’s (NDF) presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa has reiterated that he would appoint a new prime minister who could command a majority in parliament if he was elected to office. “I will replace the current corrupt administration of this country, I will bring about a new youthful, clean and skilful political culture and I will take firm and direct steps in this direction,” the Daily Financial Times quoted Premadasa as saying in a statement on Thursday. The presidential aspirant also said there would be no room in his cabinet for those accused of corruption. Premadasa, also the incumbent minister of housing construction and cultural affairs, added that he would also take steps to hold a parliamentary election and set up a stable government once elected. Premadasa said his economic policies would encourage free enterprise and measures to avoid unnecessary obstacles to the country’s wealth-creating mechanism and foster an environment in which small, medium and big businesses could grow. “We are trying to empower the private sector with adequate fiscal and monetary support. This balance is essential if one is to stabilise the economy and encourage growth. Fiscal growth provides businesses and private entrepreneurs with a conducive environment with tax breaks, reduction of the tax burden and simplified tax structures,” he said. A record 35 candidates have filed their nominations for the island nation’s eighth presidential election. Nearly 16mn of the country’s 21mn people are eligible.  Sajith is the son of late president Ranasinghe Premadasa, who ruled the country with an iron fist before he was assassinated by a Tamil suicide bomber on May 1, 1993. The six leading candidates participated in the third edition of the popular Fireside Chat series held under the title ‘What Lies Ahead: With the Leading Presidential Candidates’ on Thursday, the daily reported. The contenders at the event comprised Sajith Premadasa (National Democratic Front), Anura Kumara Dissanayaka (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna), Rohan Pallewatte (National Development Front), Ajantha Perera (Socialist Party of Sri Lanka), and Gamini Nanda Gunawardena who represented Mahesh Senanayake (National People’s Party).  Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s Gotabaya Rajapaksa was not present at the event but sent a voice message. While Dissanayaka’s economic policies would primarily focus on minimising waste and corruption as well as simplifying the tax structure, Pallewatta, who is contesting from the Jathika Sangwardhena Peramuna, said that he placed his bets on Sri Lanka’s economic growth due to the uniqueness of Sri Lankans. Perera said that one reason for the economy stagnating was that elected presidents did not give up their political affiliation but worked to strengthen it instead of concentrating on development. Gunawardena said his party’s policy was to bring more educated people into the fold and use their skills to develop the economy. In his video message, Rajapaksa said that what Sri Lanka needed was not a traditional politician but a technocrat who could think innovatively and work closely with multiple stakeholders to ensure the nation did not get left behind by the rest of the world. The former defence minister added that his policy was to empower the private sector to take charge of economic growth and to create an enabling environment.

Sri Lanka’s two top presidential candidates are offering election giveaways, from free housing to sanitary pads for women as well as big tax cuts that officials and a credit rating agency are warning would push the country deeper into debt. Former wartime defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and housing minister Sajith Premadasa are in a tight race for the Nov. 16 election at a time when the economy is growing at its slowest in 18 years, and its tourism industry suffering from militant bomb attacks this year. Gotabaya has vowed to cut a 15% value added tax by nearly half and abolish some taxes, as a way to reignite consumption, but that would lead to a loss of more than Rs600bn ($3.31bn), finance ministry officials say. Premadasa, the son of a former president, has promised free housing for all, free school uniforms and meals for students, fertilisers for farmers and sanitary pads for women, aiming to strengthen his following among the rural poor. He has also offered to raise the threshold income for the value added tax and to reduce other taxes, raising fears that the fiscal deficit target set under an IMF programme could be imperilled under either of the two candidates. “Unless compensated by significant revenue-raising measures, delivering on the programmes announced so far would delay fiscal consolidation and raise the risk that the government’s debt burden may rise, from high levels,” Anushka Shah, vice president at the Moody’s credit rating agency said in an email. Sri Lanka’s fiscal deficit fell to 5.3% of the gross domestic product last year from a six-year high of 7.6% in 2015 under the $1.5bn IMF loan programme. The 2018 target  was 4.8%. The IMF has urged Sri Lanka to show fiscal discipline. Premadasa is popular among the poor across all the communities for his poverty eradication policies, while Rajapaksa has gained among Sri Lanka’s Sinhala Buddhists, who account 70% of its population. Neither candidate spelled out his revenue proposals in his manifesto. Sirimal Abeyratne, an economics professor at the University of Colombo, said most pledges are unlikely to be  implemented. “This is our political culture. This is part of our self- destructive democracy.” But Sarath Amunugama, a former finance minister backing Rajapaksa, said the party had a plan for revenue and if needed, it would renegotiate with  the IMF. Harsha de Silva, economic reforms minister, said that under a Premadasa government, hopes would be pinned on greater private investment to drive growth and generate  revenue. The election commission yesterday said it had identified 13 presidential candidates who were in the fray merely to support either of the two main contenders, SLPP’s Gotabaya Rajapaksa and NDP’s Sajith Premadasa, for the November 16 presidential  election, an official said. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, election chief Mahinda Deshapriya said that his office mulled action against these candidates. “The commission noted seven candidates supporting one main candidate and six supporting the other,” he said. When asked how these candidates canvassed for the main contenders, he said their authorised agents were seen on the two candidates’ stages.  Besides, Deshapriya said that the secretaries to political parties represented by these candidates addressed election rallies in support of either of the two main contestants. “The increase in cash deposit required for contesting the election and denial of registration for parties doing so will serve as deterrents,” he said. There are 35 contestants in the fray this time, which has resulted in an unnecessary workload for the commission,  according to the EC Chair.  “Ballot paper will be too long this time. We need additional ballot boxes,” he added.

Sri Lanka's election commission said it would censor a state-owned TV station in an unprecedented move after accusing the network of bias against the former president's brother, who is standing in upcoming polls. The surprise move came after the Independent Television Network (ITN) aired a programme alleging loyalists to the previous regime had thwarted a corruption probe into strongman ex-president Mahinda Rajapakse's family. The broadcast had harmed opposition frontrunner Gotabhaya Rajapakse -- brother of the former leader -- according to the election commission. The channel will be banned from showing political content from Monday without the commission's approval, chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said. "ITN cannot broadcast any political content without clearing with the Election Commission until the conclusion of the election on November 16," said a letter sent from Deshapriya to the network late Saturday and seen by AFP. The letter also said that any live events filmed by the station must be shown to the commission for approval before being transmitted. It is the first time that a Sri Lankan election chief has censored a TV station. The commission said it had received many complaints about other channels campaigning for Rajapakse without declaring their bias, but could not take action as these were all private networks. Gotabhaya Rajapakse was defence secretary for a decade until his brother Mahinda was voted out in 2015. The opposition candidate is the current favourite, even though his bid is widely seen as a front to get Mahinda -- barred from contesting the election because of a two-term limit -- back into power. Mahinda's rule was marked by the end of a bloody civil war against ethnic Tamil rebels, and an international outcry over alleged human rights violations by Sri Lankan troops. The election has attracted a record 35 candidates, with nearly 16 million people eligible to vote. Last week, the commission said it was working with Facebook to take down posts that defamed election candidates.

Sri Lankan presidential candidate and former defence minister, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that he was committed to make his country a secure, prosperous nation where all communities could co-exist in harmony. Addressing a mammoth election rally in Mahara yesterday, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) candidate stressed on the need for a departure from the present political culture in the greater interest of society, reports the Daily Mirror  newspaper.  He said there should be a positive political culture in the country. “We cannot behave aggressively. I don’t approve of indecent, aggressive behaviour. There are a number of parties that have teamed up with us because of our policies. Today, the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) led by MP Arumugam Thondaman has decided to support us. We are armed with a people-friendly vision,” he said. Rajapaksa said the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) had been a source of strength for him, enabling to increase the vote base from 60% to 72%. “We warmly welcome the SLFP into our fold. The SLFP is the party founded by S W R D Bandaranaike and D A Rajapaksa. It is the party that led the 1956 revolution. That is the party that introduced a host of people friendly measures which we enjoy today. Mahinda Rajapaksa became the president of this country twice representing the SLFP,” he said. Asserting that national security would be prioritised if he was elected as the new president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said a Cabinet driven by neo-liberal thinking and acting according to the whims of the NGOs would never be able to strengthen or uphold national security. The former defence minister, who called the 21st century the knowledge driven, said he had planned his knowledge-based economic policy. “We always believe in the development of human resources. We will introduce an IT-driven economy,” he added. On October 9, Gotabaya Rajapakse, who is also the brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, formally launched his campaign for the island nation’s upcoming presidential election on November 16. A record number of 35 candidates have so far filed their nominations for the polls, where Gotabaya is considered a favourite. Four foreign teams to  observe presidential poll: Four foreign monitoring teams have been granted permission to observe Sri Lanka’s presidential election on November 16, the island nation’s Election  Commission said yesterday. Three of the teams have already arrived in the island on the invitation of the Election Commission, reports  Colombo Page. The fourth group of foreign observers was due to arrive in the coming few days. A record 35 candidates have filed their nominations for the November 16 polls so far. Former defence minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the candidate for Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by former president Mahinda Rajapakse, has been considered a favourite among the 35 hopefuls. He formally launched his presidential campaign on October 9. Gotabaya has been backed by incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The other important face in the fray is the current Minister of Housing Construction and Cultural Affairs Sajith Premadasa, who is the candidate of the New Democratic Front. Premadasa has been backed by the ruling United National Party, which has refused to contest under its own ‘elephant’ symbol for a third consecutive time. The third important candidate is leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka.  This will be the island nation’s eighth presidential election, with Sirisena’s term coming to an end in January 2020. Sirisena has refused to contest for a second term in office.

A record 35 candidates have filed nominations to take part in Sri Lanka’s presidential election on Nov 16, nearly twice as many as participated in the last poll in 2015, posing a logistical headache for election authorities.  The election is likely to be dominated by security issues after a wave of suicide bombings claimed by Islamic State killed more than 250 people in April, denting the island’s critical tourism industry. It is also expected to have far-reaching consequences for Sri Lanka’s foreign policy orientation. “The large number of candidates mean higher costs. We will need ballot sheets twice the length of last time, we may have to import ballot boxes, and we may need more officials for election processes,” Mahinda Deshapriya, head of the election commission said after the nomination process closed yesterday. The number of candidates tops the previous record of 22 candidates who took part in the 2010 election.  Political pundits view Sajith Premadasa, the housing minister in Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP), and former wartime defence chief Gotabaya Rajapakse of the opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), as the two leading contenders.  Sri Lanka’s current president, Maithripala Sirisena, has decided not to seek re-election and his party Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has not officially picked a candidate, or indicated whether it will back any of the 35 declared nominees. Sirisena in 2015 unseated Rajapakse’s elder brother, Mahinda Rajapakse, following his nearly decade-long rule, during which Sri Lanka forged close ties with China. Sirisena, along with his party’s coalition partner the UNP, has sought to neutralise Rajapakse’s pro-China foreign policy. Aides close to Gotabaya Rajapakse have said he plans to “restore relations” with Sri Lanka’s top lender China if he wins the election.  Rajapakse’s popularity has risen in recent months after it emerged that Sirisena’s government failed to act on repeated intelligence warnings from India ahead of the Easter Sunday attacks. Some Buddhist leaders and also victims of the Easter attacks have since expressed their desire for the Rajapakse family to return to power, given the hardline stance they adopted towards Tamil Tiger rebels. Other ethnic minority parties though, have already pledged support to Premadasa, who has vowed to eradicate poverty and improve housing under a slogan of “shelter for all at 2025”. Premadasa, son of former president Ranasinghe Premadasa who was killed by a Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bomber in 1993, also enjoys popularity among the rural poor, strengthening his position against Rajapakse.  There is only one round in the election but voters can rank candidate preferences. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the winner among the top two is determined after tallying the preferences of voters who backed all the other candidates. Nearly 16mn out of Sri Lanka’s total population of 21mn will be eligible to vote in the election.

A Sri Lankan court on Friday dismissed a legal challenge to presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa's Sri Lankan citizenship, removing a major barrier he faced in contesting the Nov. 16 poll. The three-judge panel of the Appeal Court unanimously dismissed the case that challenged the validity of Rajapaksa's Sri Lankan citizenship, which he obtained in 2005. Rajapaksa is widely seen as the election frontrunner because of his popularity among majority Sinhala Buddhists for his role in ending a 26-year civil war in 2009, ushering in a decade of relative peace until Easter Day bombings that killed 250 people. Two civil activists challenged Rajapaksa's Sri Lankan citizenship document and argued that he did not properly obtain it in 2005, when he was a United States citizen. Rajapaksa, 70, renounced Sri Lankan citizenship in 2003 to obtain US nationality, but returned to Sri Lanka two years later, applying for dual citizenship after his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa won the presidency. He renounced his US citizenship in May of this year. Sri Lanka does not allow dual citizens or non-citizens to contest national elections. A spokesman for Rajapaksa, Keheliya Rambukwella, said the decision was a ‘victory for the nation and democracy’. Named by the main opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party as its presidential candidate last month, Rajapaksa also faces uncertainty over a legal battle regarding misappropriation of funds. Still, Rajapaksa's popularity has grown in recent months, especially after it emerged that the government had failed to act on repeated intelligence warnings from India ahead of the Easter blasts, which were claimed by the militant group Islamic State. SLPP chairman G.L. Peiris said the court case showed a plot by opponents to stop Rajapaksa winning the Nov. 16 poll. Supporters of the SLPP welcomed the decision with firecrackers in capital Colombo after the judgement was delivered in a packed court room following a three-day hearing. Most Buddhist leaders, and some victims of the Easter attacks, have since expressed their desire for the Rajapaksa family to return to power. The activists who filed the petition were Gamini Viyangoda, an official of a citizens' group and Chandraguptha Thenuwara, an artist and lecturer. They say they are campaigners for democracy, good governance and rule of law. In the 2015 presidential election, they backed the winner, Maithripala Sirisena, against Mahinda Rajapaksa, a pro-China strongman.