Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has asserted that he does not intend to retire from politics. Speaking to the media, he clarified that the Rajapaksa family has only made a temporary withdrawal from the political arena.
“This is a temporary pause… A politician does not retire,” Rajapaksa stated in response to journalists’ inquiries.
Looking ahead to the upcoming election, he expressed confidence that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will achieve an easy victory in the 2024 Parliamentary Election. He also noted that not all members of the Rajapaksa family are stepping back from the political landscape, highlighting that Shashindra Rajapaksa is contesting from the Moneragala District.
However, none of the Rajapaksa brothers, who have dominated Sri Lankan politics for decades until their ousting in 2022, will be running in the general elections scheduled for next month.
As the nominations for the parliamentary polls on November 14 closed on Friday, October 11, 2024, it was confirmed that prominent figures such as former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former Irrigation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa, and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa are not contesting.
Additionally, Mahinda’s son Namal Rajapaksa, who served as a Cabinet Minister in Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s previous administration, is not contesting but is included on the party’s “national list,” which designates members to be nominated for additional seats based on the party’s share of votes.
