Leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Sajith Premadasa, has announced that he intends to run for the Presidency once Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigns.
The SJB holds 50 members in parliament and will require the support of 113 MPs to secure the position.
His statement comes follows historic unrest in Colombo as the Prime Minister’s private residence was burnt to the ground and the President’s house was raided by mass demonstrations. Whilst the Speaker of Sri Lanka’s parliament has declared that Rajapaksa will stand down tomorrow, there has been no word from Rajapaksa. Instead, there are growing reports of the embattled President attempting to flee the country and being refused by the US and India.
Premadasa has come under fire for refusing the post of Prime Minister when offered to him. Instead, he insisted on the resignation of the President and has claimed he would be willing to form an interim all-party government. However, there is little will to participate in an all-party government, fearing the backlash they face in upcoming elections.
Whilst presenting himself as an anti-establishment figure, Premadasa differs little in policy from the Rajapaksa when considering his deference to Sinhala Buddhist nationalism and defence of Sri Lankan war criminals. In October 2019, he defended Shavendra Silva, stating:
"No matter what pressures, I will protect Shavendra Silva and he will continue as the Army Commander,” declared Premadasa.
An architect of the Tamil genocide and former Army commander, Sarath Fonseka, also sits as the Chairman of the SJB.
Speaking to the BBC he insisted;
"We are not going to hoodwink the people. We are going to be frank and present a plan to get rid of Sri Lanka's economic ills".
Despite his adversarial relationship with Rajapaksa he has been more than willing to support his agenda. In June of last year, he declared that he would work with the President to bring about a “disciplined society”. He has also called for the death penalty for terrorists and drug traffickers.
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