A survey conducted by the Center for Policy Alternatives found that a growing number of people on the island agree that “in certain situations, a dictatorial government can be preferable to a democratic one,” reaching levels last beaten in 2018 – shortly before Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected as president.

The findings from the Colombo-based organisation are part of a social indicator survey titled ‘Survey on Democracy and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka’ conducted for the eighth year in January with 1,350 participants. They were reportedly from 25 districts across the island, but no detailed breakdown was provided. 

“The survey series shows that this support for dictatorial government was high during 2018 amidst the political chaos of the Sirisena Wickremesinghe government,” said the CPA. “Therefore, despite strong support for democracy, the survey series suggests that there is a possibility of rejuvenating the support for authoritarian rule when the frustration toward democratic governance increases.”

This viewpoint was reportedly shared across all main ethnic communities listed Sinhala, Tamil, Malaiyaha Tamil, Muslim.

However, the same survey also claimed that even more Tamils than Sinhala participants were “satisfied” when it came to ”Progress in Addressing Reconciliation by National and Ethnicity”. This is despite persistent and ongoing calls from Tamils for an international accountability mechanism to provide justice for genocide – a demand that has been roundly rejected by Sinhala political leaders from across the spectrum.

Read more from the CPA here.