Heir apparent to the powerful Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka enters critical elections after economy went into a tailspin

Many blamed the Rajapaksas. The family still had a big parliamentary majority, and voted Ranil Wickremesinghe to serve the remainder of the presidential term. Wickremesinghe ensured them protection in return for their support to pass laws in Parliament, enabling the clan to mark a return in politics.

Polls have closed in Sri Lanka's election, where voters are choosing a new president for the first time since mass protests unseated the country's leader in 2022. Saturday's vote is widely regarded as a referendum on economic reforms meant to put the country on the road to recovery after its worst ever financial crisis.