Political Parties in Sri Lanka: Change and Continuity

Having survived a tumultuous period in its political history, the island state of Sri Lanka has one of the longest and most active traditions of political parties in South Asia. The survival of democratic politics here despite repeated youth insurgencies, a protracted ethnic conflict, and a long and bloody civil war makes it pertinent for us to explore the patterns of change and continuity that characterize party politics in Sri Lanka.

While the first and second phases of the history of its parties and party system—the last period of colonial rule, followed by the postcolonial years of 1947–70—unfolded in a context of relative social peace, the third phase, from 1970 to the present, has seen continuing social unrest, rebellion, political violence, and a deepening crisis in the experience of democracy.

This volume analyses the changing role and impact of political parties in contemporary Sri Lanka. It examines their functioning in a context of severe ethnic conflict, transformations of the political structure, changes in the electoral system, rapid social change, and globalization. It also covers the crucial presidential and parliamentary elections of 2015 and reflects on the experience of individual political parties as well as Sri Lanka’s party system as a whole.

Contents: Introduction/Amita Shastri and Jayadeva Uyangoda. 1. Impact of Electoral Changes on Parties and the Party System in Sri Lanka/Amita Shastri. 2. Changing Dynamics of the Party–Voter Nexus/Pradeep Peiris. 3. United National Party: From Dominance to Opposition and Back/Amita Shastri. 4. Sri Lanka Freedom Party: Continuity through Ideological and Policy Shifts/Jayadeva Uyangoda and Keerthi Ariyadasa. 5. Left Parties in Permanent Decline: Ideological and Strategy Shifts, Survival Strategies, and Consequences/Jayadeva Uyangoda. 6. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and Radical Politics in Contemporary Sri Lanka/Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri. 7. Tamil Nationalism, Political Parties, and War-torn Political Culture/Ahilan Kadirgamar. 8. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress: Politics of a Minority Ethnic Party/Minna Thaheer. 9. Party Politics in the Plantation Community: Growth and Changes/R. Ramesh. 10. Women and Political Parties in Sri Lanka/Kamala Liyanage. Bibliography. Index.