Sri Lanka’s Fallen Dynasty Is Already Planning Its Next Comeback

As President Rajapaksa prepares to resign, his 36-year-old nephew is looking ahead to the future.

Sri Lankan President Set to Exit
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

For years, Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa dynasty ruled the island nation with an iron fist, striking fear into political opponents, journalists and other perceived threats to their power. Now protesters are chasing them out of their homes, and out of power.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, is set to resign on Wednesday after months of street protests over surging prices and shortages of basic goods such as food or petrol. After spending his time holed up at his official seaside residence, protesters shouting “Gota Go Home” forced him to flee on Saturday while breaching the gates of the compound in dramatic scenes.