Mahinda Rajapaksa: From Populism to Authoritarianism

Abstract

Since 2005, the Sri Lankan state has been controlled by the Rajapaksa family, a political dynasty from the island’s south, associated with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidential rule from 2005 to 2015 led to the brutal crushing of the Tamil insurrection and a consolidation of populist politics founded on Sinhalese Buddhist patriotism. The postwar state that emerged was nepotistic and oppressive toward political opponents. It was, however, widely supported by the majority Sinhalese community. After a short fall from grace when the opposition captured power for two years, the Rajapaksa family made a comeback in the wake of the government’s security lapses during the Easter bombings. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected president in 2019 and Mahinda Rajapaksa, as his new Prime Minister, set in motion a process aimed at further consolidating their family’s control of the executive, cabinet, and legislature. The global coronavirus pandemic is giving them an opportunity to further militarize the administration of the country. The government’s ability to withstand the economic crisis and control the pandemic will be key to their complete blunting of any opposition forces.