Sri Lanka's Premadasa seeks father's role as president

Three decades after his father was assassinated as Sri Lanka's leader, opposition chief Sajith Premadasa is a top contender to take on the role in this week's presidential elections.

Premadasa, then a student in Britain, cut short his studies and entered politics after his father, Ranasinghe Premadasa, was killed by a Tamil suicide bomber during a 1993 May Day rally in the capital Colombo.

On September 21, he will be among the front-runners in an expected three-way race for the South Asian island's top job -- the first vote since the 2022 economic meltdown when protesters ousted then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Premadasa, 57, has spent his life in politics, working his way up to become the deputy leader of the United National Party (UNP).

But he split from the party in 2020, accusing his then-boss Ranil Wickremesinghe -- now his rival as the incumbent president seeking another term -- of being dictatorial.

Both men are ideologically aligned, supporting free-market policies.

But Premadasa has pledged to reduce high-income taxes raised by Wickremesinghe to tackle the economic crisis.

Premadasa was defeated in the 2019 presidential race by Rajapaksa.

But Premadasa performed far better in parliamentary elections a year later, becoming the opposition leader with his party winning 54 seats.

Wickremesinghe's party, in contrast, won only one seat.

The other key challenger is Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, 55, who had fought as a student leader against the government of Premadasa's father in the late 1980s.

Supporters of Sajith Premadasa, leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party wave as he arrives at an election campaign rally for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for September 21, in Kadawatha, Sri Lanka September 17, 2024. Reuters

'Pad man'

In the last presidential elections, Premadasa earned the nickname "pad man", for offering free sanitary pads to women.

This time, he has been busy giving away sewing machines, computers, classroom equipment and even school buses, arranged through private donations.

"I am the only politician who is working for the people while being in the opposition," he told a campaign rally.

He also drove a bus to donate to a rural school, earning the moniker "bus man".

But the gifts were then barred by the independent Election Commission, which said it violated rules banning inducements to the electorate.

The veteran politician faces a tough battle to appeal to voters frustrated by what some see as the long-term failures of an elite in power and out of touch with the challenges ordinary citizens face.

Premadasa's use of flowery rhetoric has not helped his case.

He peppered a speech to rural schoolchildren with foreign words including Japanese, sparking social media memes mocking him as a "sesquipedalian" -- someone who uses long words.

Ties with India

Unlike his father, Premadasa is seen as being closer to the regional powerhouse and neighbor India.

New Delhi regards Sri Lanka -- strategically situated on global east-west sea routes -- as within its sphere of geopolitical influence, but competes fiercely with China for sway.

Premadasa has ties with China -- garnering support from Beijing for his campaign to donate medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But he has praised India on social media as an "inspiration to the world".

And when Premadasa congratulated India during its independence anniversary last month, New Delhi's envoy in Colombo, Santosh Jha, responded, saying their relations were "poised for greater heights".

Premadasa is married to beauty salon owner Jalani, and the pair adopted their first child, a baby girl, this year.

He is a passionate pop musician, sharing videos of himself playing the piano, guitar and drums, and is also a keen wildlife photographer.

After his 2019 defeat, his aide said Premadasa sought to cheer himself up by spending days at wildlife sanctuaries for elephants and leopards.