Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa has signalled a renewed push by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to regain power, outlining plans for a long-term political comeback despite ongoing economic hardship across the island.
Speaking to media in Colombo on April 20, following the party’s first post–New Year meeting at its Nelum Mawatha headquarters, Rajapaksa acknowledged that many families were unable to celebrate the Sinhala and Tamil New Year due to the continuing cost-of-living crisis. He nevertheless claimed that the SLPP had marked the occasion “successfully”.
Rajapaksa said the party is developing a long-term strategy to return to power but offered no clear timeline. “There will definitely be a change,” he stated, adding that the SLPP is preparing a comprehensive plan to reclaim government, whether within the year or beyond.
Commenting on upcoming party activity, Rajapaksa noted that this year’s May Day coincides with a Poya Day, and said the party would forgo traditional mass rallies in favour of religious observances.
Rajapaksa’s remarks come just a few years after his dramatic fall from power during the 2022 economic crisis, which saw mass protests culminate in the storming of the Presidential Secretariat July 2022 and his resignation as prime minister, as well as the fleeing of his brother then president Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, amid widespread public anger over economic mismanagement, corruption allegations and governance failures.