South Asia Monitor: Sri Lanka: Election Shakes Up Political Landscape - May 2, 2004

May 2, 2004

Sri Lanka's parliamentary election, held April 2, is likely to usher in a new phase of polarization and introspection in the country's deeply divided politics. The new government will be preoccupied for the next few months with a constitutional change to insure the political future of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Although Kumaratunga has asked Norway to resume facilitating peace negotiations, meaningful progress will be extremely hard to achieve. The future of the island depends on maintaining the cease-fire, which probably soon will come under pressure.