Sri Lanka crisis: the rise and fall of the family of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

President Gotabaya Rajapaksawho fled Sri Lanka on Wednesday due to the collapse of the economy, is a member of the most influential family from the country. Although he remained in power until the last moment, the social uprising that had cornered him for months left him with no choice but to escape.

Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards fled to Male, the capital of the Maldives, according to an immigration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the delicate situation in the country, shaken by massive protests.

The president’s departure came later four days of protestsincluding the seizure of his official residence and office by the mob.

Protesters also seized the residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who said he will step down when a new government takes office.

Here’s a look at the history and fall of the mighty Rajapaksa dynasty.

family business

For decades, the Rajapaksa, a powerful landowning family, the politics of a rural district in the south of the country dominated and in 2005 Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected president.

Appealing to the nationalism of a largely Buddhist Sinhala population, he defeated a Tamil uprising in 2009, ending a brutal 26-year civil war that had divided the country. His younger brother, Gotabaya, was a powerful military officer and strategist in the Ministry of Defense.

Mahinda ruled until 2015, when he was unexpectedly defeated in the election by a former ally. but the family returned to power in 2019when Gotabaya won the presidential election with a promise to restore security after the suicide attacks that left 290 deaths on Easter Sunday.

promised to restore the intense nationalism who had given his family great popularity among the Buddhist majority and overcome the economic problems that plagued the country with a message of stability and development.

However, he made a number of fatal mistakes that sparked a unprecedented crisis.

government without funds

Tourism collapsed after the attacks and loans had to be paid for controversial development projects. Rajapaska ignored his advisers and ordered the largest tax cut in the country’s history.

The goal was to promote spending, but experts warned that the measure would have a terrible impact on the government’s finances. Stopping the coronavirus pandemic and an unfortunate ban on the use of chemical fertilizers have further complicated the situation.

The country ran out of money and could not pay its huge debts. A shortage of food, cooking gas and medicines generated inconvenience and complaints due to the poor management of the country, the corruption and nepotism.

Numerous members of the Rajapaksa family held senior positions, including ministries, during the Mahinda and Gotabaya governments. In fact, Mahinda was the prime minister of his brother’s government.

The beginning of the end

In April, three members of the Rajapaksa family, including the finance minister, they left their seats amid the protests. Another relative who held a high position did the same. In May, government supporters attacked anti-government protesters and the incidents resulted in the deaths of nine people.

Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to resign as Prime Minister and took refuge in a naval base.

But Gotabaya refused to go, relying on the appointment of Wickremesinghe, an experienced opposition politician, to bring the country back from the brink.

The maneuver did not work. Wickremesinghe had neither the skills nor the support to turn things around and avoid collapse.

Source: AP

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