Sri Lanka in 2019: The return of the Rajapaksas

Abstract

Sri Lanka was confronted with three interrelated crises in 2019: the unresolved gridlock of last year's constitutional crisis; the Easter bombings and their turbulent aftermath; and the coming to a head of fiscal shortfalls and debt burdens. Growth is stalling, living costs are rising, deficits are widening, and the price of Sri Lanka's debt is weighing heavily on the government budget. In the presidential elections, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, heir of the Rajapaksa dynasty, prevailed with a landslide.