Sri Lanka: Year In Review 2011Article Free Pass In 2011 Sri
Lanka continued to recover from its 26-year civil war, which had
ended in 2009. Pres. Mahinda Rajapakse enjoyed great popularity
among the majority Sinhalese community for having defeated the
Tamil Tigers (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam; LTTE). As
expected, the United People’s Freedom Alliance, led by
Rajapakse, dominated local government elections held in March
and July. Predominantly Tamil areas formerly held by the LTTE in
the north and east of the country voted for the Tamil National
Alliance. During 2011 the president moved to consolidate
political power (much of it held by members of his family) in
the executive branch of government while placing limits on media
freedom, the role of civil society in Sri Lankan politics, and
the expression of antigovernment dissent. In August it was
announced that emergency regulations in place for nearly three
decades were being lifted, but this still left many powers in
government hands and failed to allay f