Son of Sri Lanka’s ex-leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to run for president

A son of Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa will contest the upcoming presidential election which will be held as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades.

Namal Rajapaksa, 38, announced his candidacy on Wednesday for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party at a Buddhist ceremony in the capital, Colombo.

He will challenge incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe, 75, whom many analysts see as the frontrunner, in the September 21 polls.

Elected by Parliament in July 2022, Wickremesinghe has shepherded the Indian Ocean nation through its financial crisis, which triggered widespread protests against corruption and mismanagement that had forced his predecessor and Namal’s uncle, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to resign and flee the country.

“After careful consideration, the party decided to make Namal Rajapaksa our presidential candidate,” SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said.

Namal, who was sports minister in his father’s presidency which ended in January 2015, said circumstances forced him into the fray as it was expected that he would only contest the 2029 presidential election.

“Now we have to sit and plan the campaign, because this is something that I didn’t expect,” Namal Rajapaksa told the AFP news agency after his candidacy was announced.

He put his name forward after the expected candidate, businessman Dhammika Perera, dropped out on Tuesday citing “personal reasons”.