Sept. 13-19, 2024
Demonstrators in Peru demanded more action from their government to combat fires in the Amazon. Mexicans celebrated Independence Day in the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square. Youths attended a march for religious freedom Rio de Janeiro.
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Army cadets carry a Guatemalan flag at the Constitution square during a ceremony kick off celebrations marking Central America's 204 years of independence from Spain, the day before Independence Day in Guatemala City, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Passenger Maria Lujan holds her dog Maximo Decimo as she talks to an airline worker before check-in at the Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, during a workers' strike for wage increases that is affecting some flights, but not hers. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A man wearing traditional clothing performs acrobatics on a horse during Independence Day celebrations in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)
Supporters of former President Evo Morales march to the capital with wiphala flags to protest against the government of President Luis Arce in Panduro, Bolivia, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Dutch players celebrate defeating Colombia in a penalty shoot-out of a U-20 Women's World Cup quarterfinal soccer match at Pascual Guerrero Olympic stadium in Cali, Colombia, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Air Force planes fly over the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, during an Independence Day military parade, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
People carry an empty coffin past a street food vendor into the shop that is buying it to repair and sell in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Youth participate in a Defense of Religious Freedom march at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The march seeks to bring attention to religious intolerance in the country. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Swedish singer Zara Larsson performs during the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
A demonstrator dressed in a Spiderman costume takes part in a march calling on the government to take stronger action to control fires in the country's Amazon region, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published in the past week by The Associated Press from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The selection was curated by AP photo editor Ramón Espinosa, based in Havana.
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Models, wearing a creation from the Marcos Luengo collection, exit an elevator after performing in Panama Fashion Week in Panama City, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Army cadets carry a Guatemalan flag at the Constitution square during a ceremony kick off celebrations marking Central America's 204 years of independence from Spain, the day before Independence Day in Guatemala City, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Passenger Maria Lujan holds her dog Maximo Decimo as she talks to an airline worker before check-in at the Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, during a workers' strike for wage increases that is affecting some flights, but not hers. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A man wearing traditional clothing performs acrobatics on a horse during Independence Day celebrations in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)
Supporters of former President Evo Morales march to the capital with wiphala flags to protest against the government of President Luis Arce in Panduro, Bolivia, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Dutch players celebrate defeating Colombia in a penalty shoot-out of a U-20 Women's World Cup quarterfinal soccer match at Pascual Guerrero Olympic stadium in Cali, Colombia, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Air Force planes fly over the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, during an Independence Day military parade, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
People carry an empty coffin past a street food vendor into the shop that is buying it to repair and sell in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Youth participate in a Defense of Religious Freedom march at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The march seeks to bring attention to religious intolerance in the country. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Swedish singer Zara Larsson performs during the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
A demonstrator dressed in a Spiderman costume takes part in a march calling on the government to take stronger action to control fires in the country's Amazon region, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Two years ago, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans rose up against their president and forced him to flee the country. As the country prepares for its first election since then, many say they’re still waiting for change.
As Sri Lanka sank into economic collapse in 2022, people from various walks of life rallied to change a long-entrenched government they saw as responsible. The unprecedented island-wide public uprising they led was a moment of hope for the country long been fatigued by war and economic instability.
Days ahead of Saturday’s presidential election, many still complain of corrupt leaders, economic mismanagement, and the entrenched power of the political old guard, but former protesters are having a hard time coming together behind a candidate.
They agree on one thing: Sri Lanka needs a new political system that can take it out of economic and political turbulence.
Days after Rajapaksa fled the country, Sri Lanka’s parliament replaced him with then-prime minister Ranil Wickremensignhe in a vote that many protesters saw as a victory for the status quo.
Many Sri Lankans say the current government is largely made up of the same politicians who have ruled the island nation for decades through a devastating civil war that ended in 2009 to the economic crisis that began during the coronavirus pandemic.
Even though he was later jailed for seven days on charges of violence that saw Sri Lankan dissidents ransacking the presidential palace, 42-year-old physician Pathum Kerner said the protests achieved one goal: bringing in a new leader who could address the country’s economic woes.
The worst of the economic crisis is over, he says, but there’s still a long road ahead. “We wanted to create a new party, a new political culture, and emerging leaders, but we could not do that,” said Kerner, who joined the protests in their first days and helped to start the “Go Home, Gota” slogan that became a rallying cry for Rajapaksa’s foes.
Wickremensignhe has made progress steadying Sri Lanka’s economy, but discontent remains strong as he’s introduced economic policies that have raised the cost of living, like tax cuts and a debt restructuring program.
Meanwhile, many of the protest movement’s political demands remain unmet, from accountability from his predecessors for the economic crisis, to curtailment of president’s powers and a democratic replacement.
Ajantha Perera, an academic and scientist who was part of the protests, said she hoped at first that Wickremeisnghe would work with the protesters to find solutions to the crisis.
Instead, she said, the new president went after civil society leaders who were instrumental in the citizens’ movement, delayed local elections citing lack of funds, and protected the powerful Rajapaksa clan that had ruled Sri Lanka for more than 12 years.
“All of a sudden he turned into something totally different. He was trying to please the Rajapaksas who left,” Perera said.
Like many former protesters, she wants Sri Lanka to strip its presidency of most of its powers, moving them to a more powerful parliament and prime minister.
“Executive presidency is a white elephant for Sri Lanka,” she said, saying that any new president could use it to tighten their grip over the country. “We can’t afford it. We don’t need it.”
The former protesters are finding that they don’t always agree the course their country should take, spurring divisions between one-time allies.
Wickremensignhe’s main challengers — opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and parliamentarian Anura Dissanayake, a surprise top contender who heads a new leftist coalition — have promised major political changes, including renegotiating a deal with the International Monetary Fund to win more favorable terms.
Dissanayake has even promised to nationalize the country’s resources to spur growth.
Those promises worry Kerner, who says he’s eager to hold the government to its promises but doesn’t trust leftists with the economy.
“Bringing in a leftist to this crisis,” Kerner said, “is like leaving laxatives to a patient who’s dying from dehydration.”
Human rights lawyer Swasthika Arulingam says that the emerging political splits among former protesters are a sign of healthier democracy.
Arulingam, who offered legal aid to protesters during the uprising, says Sri Lankans have become “politically conscious” after decades of voting on ethnic lines.
“This was the moment when the political status quo broke and people came out to the streets and demanded for systemic change. So definitely there’s a shift in politics in terms of the younger generation,” Arulingam said. “Political parties and candidates can no longer come and say whatever they want. People are asking questions now.”
The 37-year-old, a member of the minority Tamil community that bore the brunt of the civil war — is helping run a campaign for a candidate from the newly minted People’s Struggle Alliance. It’s another leftist political movement that is vying for a place in Sri Lanka’s political landscape.
On a recent afternoon in Homagama, a town which is about 24 kilometers (15 miles) south-east of Colombo, Arulingam spoke in front a small crowd of supporters and urged them to vote for change.
Arulingam admits her party won’t win this election, but she says it won’t hesitate to hit the streets again if the country’s politicians don’t meet demands for change.
“We are gearing up for a political fight, and we are preparing the ground,” she said.
——
Associated Press writers Krishan Francis and Bharatha Mallawarachi contributed to this report.
Presidential candidate and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawgaya or United People's Power party waves to supporters as he arrives for the final election rally in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Leader and the presidential candidate of National People's Power Anura Kumara Dissanayake speaks to supporters during the final public rally ahead of the election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Sri Lanka's president Ranil Wickremesinghe speaks during a public rally in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Ajantha Perera, an academic and scientist who was part of the protests, poses for a photo in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Ajantha Perera, an academic and scientist who was part of the protests talks to the Associated Press in in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
People walk past a graffiti near the 2022 protest site that reads "Go Home Gota," a slogan under which Sri Lankans where mobilized during the public uprising that led to the ousting of the then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Swasthika Arulingam, right, 37, a human rights lawyer and a minority Tamil, who offered legal aid to protesters during the uprising, talks to Nuwan Bopage, a presidential candidate from People's Struggle Alliance during an election campaign in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Swasthika Arulingam, 37, a human rights lawyer and a minority Tamil, who offered legal aid to protesters during the uprising, poses for a photo in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
FILE - Police fire tear gas as protesters stormed the compound of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe demanding he resign after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country amid an economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File)
FILE - People wait in a queue with empty cylinders to buy domestic gas at a distribution center, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
FILE - Protesters shouts slogans demanding acting president and prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe resign in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
FILE - Sri Lanka army soldiers patrol near the official residence of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa three days after it was stormed by anti government protesters in Colombo in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
FILE - A protester holds a portrait of former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa upside down after storming the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office demanding he resign after president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country amid economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File)
Pathum Kerner, a 42-year-old physician who was among the first Sri Lankans to join the public uprising that ended President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's regime and a key figure in starting the "Go home, Gota" walks at a 2022 protest side, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Pathum Kerner, a 42-year-old physician who was among the first Sri Lankans to join the public uprising that ended President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's regime and a key figure in starting the "Go home, Gota", talks to Associated Press at the 2022 protest site, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Pathum Kerner, a 42-year-old physician who was among the first Sri Lankans to join the public uprising that ended President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's regime and a key figure in starting the "Go home, Gota" poses for a photograph in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
