Sri Lanka crisis: Decoding Sajith Premadasa's gameplan

By Anish Kumar | First Published Jul 20, 2022, 12:30 PM IST

Experts believe that Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa and opposition members made a calculated move to pull out of the presidential race as they do not want Gotabaya Rajapaksa's candidate to win.

Three candidates -- Dullas Alahapperuam, acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe and Anura Kumara Dissanayake -- are in race for the top post in Sri Lanka being held on July 20. The Sri Lankan Parliament, which has a total of 225 members, is witnessing a triangular contest after former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country to Singapore and resigned on July 14 amidst the country's worst-ever economic crisis.

Also Read: New Chinese village east of Doklam makes the Opposition see red

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

Experts believe that Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa and opposition members made a calculated move to pull out of the presidential race as they do not want Gotabaya Rajapaksa's candidate to win.

Alahapperuma is a former education minister and dissident parliamentarian from Rajapaksa's family-led ruling party, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). As per the reports, a rift has emerged in the ruling party, with several MPs believed to be supporting Wickremesinghe too. The third candidate is the left-wing leader Dissanayake of the National Peoples' Power party. It should be noted that the party has only three members in parliament.

Analysts believe there will be a close fight between Wickremesinghe and Alahapperuma, with the former being ahead since the majority of the legislators from the ruling party are extending support to him.

Sri Lanka, which has a population of 22 million, has been struggling with severe fuel shortages, life-saving drugs and other essential commodities. It had to seek bailout packages from the International Monetary Fund after its economy shattered and foreign reserves depleted.

How does the presidential election take place in Sri Lanka?

The Parliament has a strength of 225 members. The candidate has to secure over fifty per cent votes if everyone comes to vote.

Out of these three candidates, one has to bag fifty per cent of votes among the total votes polled through a secret ballot.

If no one gets over half of the valid votes cast, the candidate with the lowest number of votes would be removed from the race.

Why did Sajith Premadasa withdraw from the race?

In a tweet, Premadasa said, "For the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish, I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of President."

After pulling out, he extended support to Allahaperuma.

Dr Dhananjay Tripathi, Associate Professor at South Asian University in Delhi, said: "Political leaders are facing tremendous pressure from Sri Lankans. No politicians wants to fight elections in the current scenario. They all have been managed somehow for the contest. The situation is such that the Sri Lankans do not want to pay any heed to anyone."

"Political stability is a must in Sri Lanka as the island nation is struggling with complete vacuum and anarchy. There is a need for a recognized and credible government. Ranil became the prime minister a few months back and the president a few days ago. Even then, he is facing people's ire. So the face should be such that the citizens can believe in," he said.

"Without international community involvement, I don't think the Sri Lankan crisis would be resolved. India will have to play a major role. Since India has goodwill in Sri Lanka, it can coordinate with the global community in bringing the island nation on track," he added.

Another expert, Dr Smruti S Pattnaik, a South Asian expert and Research Fellow at the MP-IDSA, said: "Premadasa knows that given his party's number in Parliament, he will not be able to win the election. So by withdrawing, he has a moral victory. By supporting Dullas, he is trying to ensure that Ranil loses. Dullas will have the support of the SJB and will take some votes of SLPP away from Ranil."

Also Read: Conspiracy Files: The CIA blew up Homi Bhabha's plane, 'nailed' Shastri

For more reliable and latest news