Search

The year 2015 in Sri Lanka was characterized by a democratic transfer of power from the United People's Freedom Alliance, led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to a coalition led by the United National Party. Constitutional changes restricting presidential power, and the growth of a new approach to human rights and ethnic reconciliation, accompanied this shift. Sri Lanka's emphasis in its economic policy shifted from major infrastructural projects to a further strengthening of human capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers a report on electoral systems and political culture. The section attempts to investigate in detail the workings of two different electoral systems in Sri Lanka in respect of 12 national elections to the legislature. It aims to determine the relative influence of two factors, electoral system and political culture, in this single case and to place it in the context of multi-country studies on this question.

Open warfare between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam broke out in mid-year. The two sides met twice in Geneva but failed to resolve their differences. Disagreements within the ruling coalition on how to resolve this conflict resulted in a realignment of political forces. The economy continued to grow, although troubling indicators emerged toward the end of 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tsunami of December 26, 2004, the biggest natural disaster to strike Sri Lanka in centuries, dominated the scene in the first half of 2005. Disputes within the government on arrangements to distribute international aid in cooperation with the major militant Tamil rebel group resulted in political turmoil. While the economy continued to grow in the absence of open war, both the government and the Tamil Tigers tried to gain military and political advantage. In the second half of the year, a presidential election presented voters with some striking policy alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the Parliamentary General Elections and the Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka held in 1994. Developments in the Sri Lankan political scene; Changes in leadership and policies within the United National Party in the 1990s; Major political figures in Sri Lanka's elections; Factors affecting political calculations; Significance of the realignment of political forces in Sri Lanka.