Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna

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Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna
ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ
இலங்கை பொதுஜன முன்னணி
AbbreviationSLPP
LeaderMahinda Rajapaksa[a]
ChairpersonG. L. Peiris
General SecretarySagara Kariyawasam
Founded2016
Headquarters1316 Nelum Mawatha, Jayanthipura, Battaramulla[3][4]
Youth wingSri Lanka People's Youth Front
IdeologySocial democracy[5]
Sinhalese nationalism[6][5]
Anti-federalism[7]
Populism[8]
Political positionSocial: Right-wing[9][10][11]
Economic: Left-wing[5]
National affiliationSri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance
Colours  Maroon
Sloganඅපි අපේ රට හදමු!
"Let's build our country!"
Parliament of Sri Lanka
100 / 225
Local Government Bodies[12]
239 / 340
Election symbol
Flower bud
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna election symbol.svg
Party flag
File:Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna flag.png
Website
slpp.org

The Sri Lanka People's Front (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ, romanized: Śrī Laṃkā Podujana Peramuna; Tamil: இலங்கை பொதுஜன முன்னணி, romanized: Ilaṅkai Potujaṉa Muṉṉaṇi), commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), is a political party in Sri Lanka. Previously a minor political party known as the Sri Lanka National Front (SLNF) and Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front (OSLFF), it was relaunched in 2016 as the SLPP and became the home for members of the United People's Freedom Alliance loyal to its former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.[13]

The front's leader is Mahinda Rajapaksa.[14] The front's chairman is G. L. Peiris and its secretary is Sagara Kariyawasam.[15]

History

Sri Lanka National Front

The Sri Lanka National Front (Sri Lanka Jathika Peramuna) contested the 2001 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 15 of the 22 electoral districts across the country but failed to win any seats in the Parliament of Sri Lanka after securing 719 votes (0.01%).[16] The SLNF contested the 2004 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 17 of the 22 electoral districts but failed to win any seats in Parliament after securing 493 votes (0.01%) across the country.[17] SLNF leader Wimal Geeganage contested the 2005 Sri Lankan presidential election and came in eighth after securing 6,639 votes (0.07%).[18]

The SLNF contested the 2010 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 19 of the 22 electoral districts but failed to win any seats in Parliament after securing 5,313 votes (0.07%) across the country.[19] Geeganage contested the 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election and came in last at 19th after securing 1,826 votes (0.02%).[20]

Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front

In 2015, the SLNF changed its name to Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front (Ape Sri Lanka Nidahas Peramuna) and its symbol from cricket bat to flower bud.[21][22] In early 2016, OSLFF leader Geeganage hinted that there would be change in the party leadership's soon.[23]

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna

In November 2016, the OSLFF relaunched itself as Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a political front for the Joint Opposition, and appointed G. L. Peiris, a former Foreign Minister and Rajapaksa ally, as its chairman.[24][25] Attorney Sagara Kariyawasam was the front's secretary and its symbol was the flower bud.[26][27] Kariyawasam is a former Sri Lanka Freedom Party organiser and has served as attorney for Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.[28][29][30] Basil Rajapaksa, another brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa, joined the SLPP shortly after it was formed.[31]

In the 2018 Sri Lankan local elections, the SLPP won a surprise 40% plurality of votes, emerging as the party with the most councillors and local authorities.[32][33] The SLPP contested for the election under its flower bud symbol.[34]

In the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election, former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, younger brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, won the election for the SLPP and was sworn in as the new President of Sri Lanka.[35][36] In the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election, the SLPP won a landslide victory and a clear majority in the parliament. The party won 116 seats of the 225 parliamentary seats. Five members of the Rajapaksa family won seats in the parliament, and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa became the new Prime Minister.[37]

Economic crisis

Main articles: Sri Lankan economic crisis (2019–Present), 2022 Sri Lankan protests, and 2022 Sri Lankan political crisis

The Rajapaksa administration introduced massive tax cuts in late 2019,[38] which lead to a drop in government revenue that was soon compounded with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the island nation losing its lucrative US$3 billion tourism industry that put 200,000 out of work in 2020 and most of 2021. Although the export sector picked up by 2021 and tourism started picking up, it appeared that Sri Lanka was facing its most severe economic crisis since its independence in 1948 due to the loss of revenue from tax cuts, rampant money printing and unsustainable borrowings. By end of 2021, Sri Lanka was facing a debt crisis with a possibility of sovereign default. According to a poll conducted by Verité Research in March 2022 the government's approval rating had fallen to just 10% as a result of the crisis.[39] Following severe shortages of fuel, the state owned Ceylon Electricity Board was forced to implement 10–13 hour power cuts across the island in late March.

The SLPP government was beginning to grow increasingly unpopular; according to a poll conducted by Verité Research in March 2022 the government's approval rating had fallen to just 10% as a result of the crisis.[39] This triggered the 2022 Sri Lankan protests, which demanded the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and other key officials from the Rajapaksa family.[40][41][42] On 3 April, several Rajapaksa cabinet ministers submitted their resignations. This included three ministers from the Rajapaksa family; Chamal Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa and Namal Rajapaksa.[43] The president was to announce the new cabinet the following day.

On 18 April, Rajapaksa appointed 17 new cabinet members, selected among his party members. This move was seen as a sign of Rajapaksa's lack of willingness to listen and adhere to the protesters' demands.[44]

On 9 May 2022, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa tendered his resignation to the President.[45] Rajapaksa was heavily criticised by netizens and the public for resigning after instigating violence against peaceful protests.[46] Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the new Prime Minister on 12 May.

Eventually, protests peaked on 9 July, after large numbers of protesters gathered at Chatham Street, Colombo, near the President's House, demanding his immediate resignation. Protesters also broke into the Presidential Secretariat and Temple Trees, the Prime Minister's official residence[47] and gathered around the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The speaker of the Parliament issued a statement that night that President Rajapaksa would resign from office on 13 July 2022.[48][49] Political parties including the Opposition agreed to form an all-party interim government after President's resignation.[50][51] Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also announced that he would be willing to resign, saying that he would do so once a new government was formed.[52][53]

Self-exile and resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa

On the morning of 13 July, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka and appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president in his absence. President Rajapaksa emailed a letter of resignation to the Speaker of the Parliament on 14 July the next day, thus marking the end of Gotabaya Rajapaksa's presidency.[54] The news of his resignation was celebrated by the public mainly at Galle Face and also in the other parts of Colombo.[55]

On 15 July, the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abewardhana announced the official resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa[56] and Ranil Wickremesinghe was officially sworn in as the Acting President.[57] To complete the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa's term, a president will be elected by the Parliament of Sri Lanka on 20 July 2022.[58]

Ideology

The SLPP split from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a centre-left, Sinhalese nationalist, and post-colonial party, which political scientist Jayadeva Uyangoda described as "a progressive, social democratic, centre-left political party, that made tremendous contribution to social change and democracy".[59] From the SLFP, it took its nationalism but not its economic outlook.[59] Since 2019, the SLPP performed better than the SLFP, which did not field a candidate for the 2019 presidential election.[59] The split and rightward turn of the SLPP,[60] which moved towards neo-nationalism and right-wing populism,[61][62] corresponded with two other political shifts in the nation's major parties: Anura Kumara Dissanayake's Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna on the left, moved closer to social democracy and Sajith Premadasa's free-market oriented United National Party moved closer to welfarism.[59] Uyangoda described the SLPP as "a right wing, neo-conservative party that favours authoritarianism", and commented: "Though ironically created by the SLFP, the SLPP doesn't replace it, it merely displaces it. The SLPP will undoubtedly tread a free market-oriented path but have Mahinda Rajapaksa to disguise its policy in state-capitalist rhetoric."[59]

Ahead of the 2019 elections, Deshika Elapata, a junior researcher of the European Institute for Asian Studies, described the SLPP as "a socially right-wing and economically left-wing party rooted in Sinhalese nationalism and social democracy".[63] The party supports Sinhalese nationalism,[13][64][65] and opposes federalism in Sri Lanka.[66]

Electoral history

Sri Lanka presidential elections
Election year Candidate Votes Vote % Result
2005 Wimal Geeganage 6,639 0.07% 8th
2015 Wimal Geeganage 1,826 0.02% 19th
2019 Gotabaya Rajapaksa 6,924,255 52.25% Won
2022 Dullas Alahapperuma 82 37.44% 2nd
Sri Lanka parliamentary elections
Election year Votes Vote % Seats won +/– Leader Result for the party
2001 719 0.01%
0 / 225
 New Wimal Geeganage Extra-parliamentary
2004 493 0.01%
0 / 225
 Steady Wimal Geeganage Extra-parliamentary
2010 5,313 0.07%
0 / 225
 Steady Wimal Geeganage Extra-parliamentary
2020 Was part of the Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance
100 / 225
 Increase 100 Mahinda Rajapaksa Government
Sri Lanka local elections
Election year Votes Vote % Councillors Local Authorities +/– Leader
2018 5,006,837 40.47%
3,434 / 5,074
231 / 340
 New Mahinda Rajapaksa

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Mahinda Rajapaksa is considered to be the real leader of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, while its official leader G. L. Peiris is considered to be Rajapaksa's proxy.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ "Sri Lanka's Local Government Polls: Time To Send Signals?". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. ^ Liyanagama, Lakdev (6 July 2017). "Waiting to Vote". Daily News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Contact". Sri Lanka People's Youth Front. Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  4. ^ Marasinghe, Sandasen; Jayamanna, Kamal (12 February 2018). "Historic victory for SLPP – JO". Daily News. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "EU Election Observation Mission to Sri Lanka 2019". EIAS. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  6. ^ Perera, Jehan. "Prevent Vicious Cycle From Re-Emerging After Election". peace-srilanka.org. The National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  7. ^ "The Politics of Demonizing Federalism and Depicting It as Separatism". Colombo, Sri Lanka: Daily Mirror. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  8. ^ Jayakody, Rasika (8 October 2017). "Week of Masqueraders". sundayobserver.lk. The Sunday Observer. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  9. ^ Srinivasan, Meera (9 October 2019). "Is this the beginning of the political demise of Sri Lanka Freedom Party?". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  10. ^ Jayatilleka, Dayan (12 November 2017). "The SLFP's Crisis". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 27 July 2022. In the growing Oppositional space, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Rajapaksa family, and Prof GL Peiris would naturally have been a strong, organic center-left or liberal-nationalist moderate center, but they have been pulled to or pushed by the neo-nationalist populist Right, due to the ideological gravitational effect or osmosis of the Buddhist clergy and civil society as well as Diaspora pressure groups.
  11. ^ 19/Nov/2019 (19 November 2019). "Sri Lanka: Gotabaya's Triumph Is Constrained by Circumstances Beyond His Control". Thewire.in. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  12. ^ "SLPP wins 239 LG bodies, UNP 41".
  13. ^ a b Jayakody, Rasika (8 October 2017). "Week of Masqueraders". The Sunday Observer. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  14. ^ "Mahinda made Leader of SLPP". Ada Derana. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna". Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Results of Parliamentary General Election – 2001" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
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  18. ^ "Results Of Presidential Election – 2005 (Summary)" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  19. ^ "Results of Parliamentary General Election – 2010" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  20. ^ "Results Of Presidential Election – 2015" (PDF). Colombo, Sri Lanka: Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  21. ^ "If UPFA nomination foils; Mahinda prepared to contest through 'budding flower'". Ada Derana. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  22. ^ "G.L. Peiris to Chair Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna changed". Puvath.lk. November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
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  24. ^ "GL named Chairman of Podujana Peramuna". The Daily Mirror. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  25. ^ Sri Abeyratne, Dharma (3 November 2016). "Renamed political party under GL's chairmanship". Daily News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  26. ^ Dharmasena, Ranil (3 November 2016). "Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna formed". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  27. ^ "'Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front' changes name; GL named Chairman". Ada Derana. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  28. ^ Jayakody, Rasika (14 February 2016). "SLFP cracks down on dissidents as pro-MR party suffers birth-pangs". Sunday Observer. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  29. ^ Fonseka, Piyumi (26 July 2015). "MR sends Letters of Demand". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  30. ^ Ramakrishnan, T. (24 April 2015). "Gotabaya Rajapaksa appears before anti-graft body". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  31. ^ "Basil Rajapaksa Joins Sri Lanka Podujana Permauna". Hiru News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  32. ^ Kanakarathna, Thilanka (6 March 2018). "LG Election: SLPP obtained 40% votes; media miscalculated: Champika". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  33. ^ Imtiaz, Zahrah. "Over 180 Local Govt. hung councils". Daily News. No. 14 February 2018. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
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  36. ^ Bastians, Dharisha; Schultz, Kai (17 November 2019). "Gotabaya Rajapaksa Wins Sri Lanka Presidential Election". The New York Times.
  37. ^ "Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lanka's PM".
  38. ^ "Cabinet announces massive tax cuts". newsfirst.lk. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  39. ^ a b "Only 10% approve the way current government is working – Survey reveals". Ada Derana. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  40. ^ Dhillon, Amrit (1 April 2022). "Sri Lanka: 50 injured as protesters try to storm president's house amid economic crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  41. ^ "Main opposition SJB to hold mass protest rally in Colombo". NewsWire. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  42. ^ "Dozens arrested in Sri Lanka amid protests over worsening economy". Aljazeera. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  43. ^ "Sri Lanka's cabinet ministers resign amid protests, social media ban". France24. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  44. ^ "Gotabaya Rajapaksa: Under fire Sri Lanka president appoints new cabinet". BBC News. 18 April 2022. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  45. ^ "Sri Lankan PM quits after violent clashes". Dawn. 9 May 2022.
  46. ^ "MR's parting shot of violence at the Galle Face Prime Minister leaves office only after almost setting the country on fire". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  47. ^ Amy Woodyatt, <a href="/profiles/rhea-mogul">Rhea Mogul</a>, <a href="/profiles/laura-smith-spark">Laura Smith-Spark</a> and <a href="/profiles/adrienne-vogt">Adrienne Vogt</a> (9 July 2022). "Live updates: Turmoil in Sri Lanka as thousands protest". CNN. Retrieved 9 July 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  48. ^ "Sri Lanka's president resigns in the face of massive protests". The Economist. 9 July 2022.
  49. ^ "Sri Lanka president to resign on July 13: Speaker". EconomyNext. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  50. ^ "Sri Lanka Economic Crisis: Sri Lankan parties agree to form all-party interim govt after Rajapaksa's resignation". The Times of India. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  51. ^ "Sri Lanka Opposition parties agree to form all-party interim govt". Business Standard. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  52. ^ "PM says he is willing to resign – Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  53. ^ "Sri Lanka protesters set the prime minister's home on fire after he agrees to resign". NPR. Associated Press. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  54. ^ "Sri Lanka president Rajapaksa emails resignation letter to parliamentary speaker – source". Reuters. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  55. ^ "Sri Lankans hit the streets in celebration as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigns". India Today. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  56. ^ "Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has resigned – source". Newswire. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  57. ^ "Ranil takes oaths as Acting President". News First. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  58. ^ "Sri Lanka PM becomes acting president, election set for July 20". France24. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  59. ^ a b c d e Srinivasan, Meera (9 October 2019). "Is this the beginning of the political demise of Sri Lanka Freedom Party?". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  60. ^ Jayatilleka, Dayan (12 November 2017). "The SLFP's Crisis". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 14 July 2022. In the growing Oppositional space, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Rajapaksa family, and Prof GL Peiris would naturally have been a strong, organic center-left or liberal-nationalist moderate center, but they have been pulled to or pushed by the neo-nationalist populist Right, due to the ideological gravitational effect or osmosis of the Buddhist clergy and civil society as well as Diaspora pressure groups.
  61. ^ Gunawardena, Devaka (19 November 2019). "Sri Lanka: Gotabaya's Triumph Is Constrained by Circumstances Beyond His Control". The Wire. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  62. ^ Jayasuriya, Kanishka (27 November 2019). "The Sri Lankan election and authoritarian populism". East Asia Forum. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  63. ^ Elapata, Deshika (4 November 2019). "EU Election Observation Mission to Sri Lanka 2019". European Institute for Asian Studies. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  64. ^ Perera, Jehan (13 February 2018). "Prevent Vicious Cycle From Re-Emerging After Election". National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  65. ^ Ranawana, Arjuna (13 July 2019). "The Battle for the Sinhala Right-Wing voter". Economy Next. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  66. ^ "The Politics of Demonizing Federalism and Depicting It as Separatism". Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

External links

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