Publication

This report reviews Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s time in office between January and July 2015 and looks ahead to the August 2015 parliamentary elections and the challenge posed to the president by a resurgent faction within his own party. It also assesses the factors hindering Sirisena's reform program, which include high levels of bureaucracy, Sinhala and Tamil nationalism, the legacy of the 30-year civil war, and parliamentary and party politics in the country. The author then addresses the forthcoming report of the investigation by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka and proposes recommendations for a credible accountability process involving the Sri Lankan government and the international community.