Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has created a political one
The government has no majority, no cabinet and no public support
UNTIL VERY recently Gotabaya Rajapaksa, still Sri Lanka’s president as The Economist went to press, was secure in his job. After all, he had done much to consolidate his power. Following his election in 2019 he dissolved the legislature and filled the government with relatives and cronies. A thumping win for his coalition in parliamentary elections in 2020 enabled him to change the constitution, handing himself even more power.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Lights out”
From the April 9th 2022 edition
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