Choice in Sri Lanka: Pruning the family clan democracy?

In the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka can expand the leading Rajapaksa Clan with a clear election victory by his Power. The party of the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, has achieved the result of Friday that, together with allied parties, your goal and a two-thirds majority in Parliament obtained. This majority allows the brothers and their party of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), amendments to the Constitution to enforce. Among other things, it is expected that you will swipe an article that limited the Power of the President, his duties to a maximum of two periods is limited, and the Parliament as well as independent commissions strengthens.

Till Fähnders

Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.

The Prime Minister thanked on Friday the people for the confidence it had placed in him and his brother. The vote brings political stability in times of crisis, but also to the family in the future, there is no other way. Thus, the party United National Party (UNP) of former Prime Minister and rival, the Rajapaksas, Ranil Wickremesinghe, is wiped out, in fact. She came in to the ballot on Wednesday, has been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, two Times, to only a of formerly 106 Seats. The largest opposition force, the party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) of Sajith Premadasa, the had of the UNP cleaved is now. His party gets 54 out of the total 225 seats.

Parliament had been strengthened

The SLPP, the Rajapaksas may, the hotel provides 145 seats, of which five more seats, going to parties, which are politically connected with her. Together the two-thirds majority of the 150 Seats, results in the. The Rajapaksas were returned in November of last year to the Power. After the devastating attacks on churches and Hotels on Easter Sunday, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had staged himself as a strong man and more of a commitment to the public safety promised. At that time, more than 260 people had been at the coordinated bomb attacks sri Lankan Islamists killed. The then government were accused of serious dereliction of duty as Indian warnings before the attack were not been taken before serious.