Sri Lanka party names Rajapaksa scion as presidential candidate for September 21 election

A scion of the powerful Rajapaksa clan is running for Sri Lankan president in elections next month, more than two years after his populist uncle led the country to its worst economic crisis ever.

The clan’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party named Namal Rajapaksa, 38, as their presidential candidate at a ceremony attended by his family members in Colombo. The party, which leads the government coalition, had supported the incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the current term.

“Victory for Namal is guaranteed because he possesses local values, understands the aspirations of the people, and can face up to challenges,” said party general secretary Sagara Kariyawasam after announcing the candidacy.

The national vote on September 21 will be the first for the country after a historic debt default in May 2022 that saw living standards plummet and widespread unrest, forcing Namal’s uncle Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign. Namal’s participation in the presidential election signals the Rajapaksa clan is trying to reconsolidate power among the country’s Buddhist majority.

The former sports minister will run against Wickremesinghe, main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is backed by the socialist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party. Nearly 20 candidates have so far placed deposits at Sri Lanka’s Election Commission to contest the polls, for which the nominations are due on August 15.

Namal’s father Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose decade in power saw the end of Sri Lanka’s ethnic war, and uncle Basil Rajapaksa, a former finance minister, attended Wednesday’s event at the party headquarters. Supporters held prayers and cheered the announcement. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, however, wasn’t present at the