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35-504: The Sunday Standard and Mawbima were launched in August 2006. The Sunday Standard was a successor to The Weekend Standard which had been launched by businessman Tiran Alles in August 2005 to help the presidential campaign of Mahinda Rajapaksa . The newspaper was politically independent, and exposed corruption, mismanagement and human rights violations by the Rajapaksa government. This led to

70-585: A Sri Lankan politician is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna 1. Resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa 2. Accountability for corruption 3. Economic reforms 4. Access to essential services 5. Political reforms 6. Youth participation The Sri Lanka People's Front ( Sinhala : ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ , romanized:  Śrī Laṃkā Podujana Peramuna ; Tamil : இலங்கை பொதுஜன முன்னணி , romanized:  Ilaṅkai Potujaṉa Muṉṉaṇi ), commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna ( SLPP ),

105-463: A major expansion program of the airport. CBE also launched 2 newspapers: Mawbima and The Sunday Standard . In 2002, he started a mobile telephony business in Sri Lanka after securing exclusive distribution rights, which led to a political controversy a few years later. Tiran Alles worked for Mangala Samaraweera when he became the campaign manager for President Mahinda Rajapaksa (2004–2005) of

140-625: Is a political party in Sri Lanka . It was the ruling party in Sri Lanka from 2019 to 2022 and was the largest party in parliament from 2020 to 2024. Previously a minor political party known as the Sri Lanka National Front ( SLNF ) and Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front ( OSLFF ), it was relaunched in 2016 as the SLPP and the party became the base for members of the United People's Freedom Alliance loyal to its former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and

175-450: Is a Sri Lankan businessman and politician. He is a current member of Parliament of Sri Lanka and the Minister of Public Security . Alles had entered politics as an ally of former General Sarath Fonseka and a member of parliament for Fonseka's Democratic National Alliance in 2010. Leaving parliament in 2015, he returned as a member of Mahinda Rajapaksa 's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and

210-590: Is the general secretary of the party. G. L. Peiris was formerly the chairman of the party before defecting to form the Freedom People's Congress . The Sri Lanka National Front (Sri Lanka Jathika Peramuna) contested the 2001 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 15 of the 22 electoral districts across the country. The party failed to win a single seat in the Parliament of Sri Lanka after securing 719 votes (about 0.01% of all votes cast). The SLNF contested again in

245-545: The 2004 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 17 of the 22 electoral districts but once again failed to win any seats in Parliament after securing 493 votes (0.01%). SLNF leader Wimal Geeganage contested the 2005 Sri Lankan presidential election and came in eighth after securing 6,639 votes (0.07%). The SLNF contested the 2010 Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 19 of the 22 electoral districts but failed to win any seats in Parliament after securing 5,313 votes (0.07%) across

280-545: The President's House, Colombo , demanding his immediate resignation. Protesters also broke into the Presidential Secretariat and Temple Trees , the prime minister's official residence, and gathered around the private residence at 115 Fifth Lane of Wickremesinghe. The speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka issued a statement that night that Rajapaksa would resign from office on 13 July. Political parties including

315-571: The Rajapaksa family . The party was formed as a result of a split from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a centre-left , Sinhalese nationalist , and post-colonial party. The SLPP borrowed some elements of the SLFP ideology but not its economic outlook, and is opposed to federalism in Sri Lanka . The party is led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president of Sri Lanka . Sagara Kariyawasam

350-491: The Samagi Jana Balawegaya ) became more supportive of welfare . Uyangoda described the SLPP as "a right wing, neo-conservative party that favours authoritarianism", and commented: "Though ironically created by the SLFP, the SLPP doesn't replace it, it merely displaces it. The SLPP will undoubtedly tread a free market-oriented path but have Mahinda Rajapaksa to disguise its policy in state-capitalist rhetoric." Ahead of

385-542: The Sri Lanka Freedom Party . He was later accused of fomenting a pact, the Rajapaksa-LTTE pact, that led to the boycott of the 2005 elections in the north and east of the country, thus allowing Rajapaksa' victory. In 2010, he supported the electoral campaign of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and took part in General Sarath Fonseka 's presidential campaign against Rajapaksa. After the election loss, he became

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420-559: The 2024 presidential election. He was the youngest candidate in the election. Rajapaksa was eliminated after the first vote count, placing 4th behind Anura Kumara Dissanayake , Sajith Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe and winning only 2.57% of the popular vote. From the election results so far it is apparent that the NPP is on the threshold of obtaining a two-thirds majority in Parliament , or fall slightly short. The SLPP managed to secure only 3 seats including one bonus seat (national list) in

455-599: The OSLFF relaunched itself as the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a political front for the Joint Opposition , and appointed G. L. Peiris , the country's former minister of foreign affairs and Rajapaksa ally, as its chairman. Attorney Sagara Kariyawasam , a former organizer of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and attorney for former president Rajapaksa and his brother, former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa ,

490-565: The Parliament through the results of the 2024 Election. The number of total votes obtained by the SLPP, once the largest party in Parliament from 2020 to 2024, was only 350,429 (3.14%) in this year’s parliamentary poll. If the NPP gets a two-thirds majority, it is the first time under the Proportional Representation system that one party has got a two thirds majority in Parliament. In 2010 the United People's Freedom Alliance and in 2020

525-517: The Rajapaksa family won seats in the parliament, and the former president Rajapaksa was sworn in as the new prime minister of Sri Lanka . The Rajapaksa administration introduced massive tax cuts in late 2019, which lead to a drop in government revenue that was soon compounded with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the island nation losing its lucrative US$ 3 billion tourism industry that put 200,000 out of work in 2020 and most of 2021. Although

560-413: The Rajapaksa family. On 3 April, several ministers in the second Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet submitted their resignations. This included three ministers from the Rajapaksa family: Chamal Rajapaksa , Basil Rajapaksa , and Namal Rajapaksa . The president was to announce the new cabinet the following day. On 18 April, Rajapaksa appointed 17 new cabinet members, selected among his party members. This move

595-463: The SLPP fell just short of a two thirds and had to get the support of some opposition members to get a two thirds majority. The SLPP split from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a centre-left , Sinhalese nationalist , and post-colonial party, which political scientist Jayadeva Uyangoda described as "a progressive, social democratic, centre-left political party, that made tremendous contribution to social change and democracy". The SLPP borrowed

630-459: The SLPP was held, in which Mahinda Rajapaksa was reappointed as the party leader. In 2024, there was much speculation whether the SLPP would field its own candidate or endorse incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe at the 2024 presidential election . In late July 2024, the SLPP announced that it would not endorse Wickremesinghe in the election. On 7 August 2024, the SLPP announced Namal Rajapaksa , son of Mahinda Rajapaksa, as its candidate in

665-527: The Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on the orders of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The bank accounts of Standard Newspapers and CBE were frozen on 7 March 2007 on the orders of President Rajapaksa. The last issues of The Sunday Standard and Mawbima were published on 24 March 2007. This article about a newspaper from Sri Lanka is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tiran Alles Tiran Alles , MP

700-741: The chairman of Fonseka's new alliance, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), for the 2010 parliamentary election, of which the JVP had been a part. Although the alliance won a very little result in the election, he subsequently became a member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for the DNA through a national list seat. In 2020, he was reappointed to the Parliament through the national list of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna , led by new prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. In May 2022, when Rajapaksa resigned, he

735-421: The country's opposition agreed to form an all-party interim government after the president's resignation. Wickremesinghe also announced that he would be willing to resign as prime minister, saying that he would do so once a new government was formed. On the morning of 13 July, Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka and appointed Wickremesinghe as acting president in his absence. Rajapaksa emailed a letter of resignation to

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770-477: The country. Geeganage contested in the 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election and came in last place, at 19th, after securing 1,826 votes (0.02%). In 2015, the SLNF changed its name to Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front (Ape Sri Lanka Nidahas Peramuna) and its symbol from the cricket bat to a flower bud . In early 2016, OSLFF leader Geeganage hinted that a change in the party leadership was soon to come. In November 2016,

805-484: The election under its flower bud symbol. In the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election , the younger brother of the Rajapaksas contested in the elections as the SLPP candidate and later won the election and was sworn in as the new president of Sri Lanka . In the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election , the SLPP won a landslide victory and a clear majority in the parliament, winning 116 seats in Parliament. Five members of

840-637: The elements of nationalism from the SLFP but not its economic outlook. The party is opposed to federalism in Sri Lanka . In 2019, the SLPP began to outperform the SLFP, which did not field a candidate in the 2019 presidential election . The split and rightward turn of the SLPP, which moved towards neo-nationalism and right-wing populism , corresponded with the shifts of the nation's two other major parties: Anura Kumara Dissanayake 's leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna moved closer to social democracy and democratic socialism , while Sajith Premadasa 's free-market oriented United National Party (and later

875-475: The export sector picked up by 2021 and tourism started picking up, it appeared that Sri Lanka was facing its most severe economic crisis since its independence in 1948 due to the loss of revenue from tax cuts, rampant money printing and unsustainable borrowings. By end of 2021, Sri Lanka was facing a debt crisis with a possibility of sovereign default . According to a poll conducted by Verité Research in March 2022,

910-440: The government's approval rating had fallen to just 10% as a result of the crisis. Following severe shortages of fuel, the state owned Ceylon Electricity Board was forced to implement 10–13 hour power cuts across the island in late March. The SLPP government was beginning to grow increasingly unpopular. This triggered the 2022 Sri Lankan protests , which demanded the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and other key officials from

945-641: The leader of the United People's Party in 2020 and became a minister in 2022. He was the former chairman of Airport and Aviation Services. The eldest son of the late leading educationists R. I. T. Alles , he was educated at the Royal College Colombo . In 1988, he launched the company Communication & Business Equipment (CBE) with 10 employees. He also acted as the chairman of the Bandaranaike International Airport and launched

980-579: The newspaper being harassed by the government. On 18 January 2007, the Inland Revenue Department raided a number of companies associated with the Alles family, including Standard Newspapers. On the same day, the editorial director of Standard Newspapers was threatened with death if the newspapers continued to publish articles critical of President Rajapaksa's brothers Basil Rajapaksa and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa . Dushyantha Basnayake, finance director of CBE,

1015-502: The online safety act in January 2024 despite criticism from local and international activists, governments and technology companies. The opposition made claim the act was presented without Supreme Court recommendation. Most activists said that the act was presented by Alles to help the government that was falling in popularity. In February Alles had to make 47 amendments to the act only after 13 days after passing it. This article about

1050-408: The speaker of the parliament on 14 July the next day, thus marking the end of Rajapaksa's presidency. The news of his resignation was celebrated by the public mainly at Galle Face and also in the other parts of Colombo. On 15 July, the parliamentary speaker Mahinda Yapa Abewardhana announced the official resignation of Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe was officially sworn in as the acting president, and

1085-499: Was appointed as the party secretary. The flower bud remained as the symbol of the party. Basil Rajapaksa , another brother of Rajapaksa, joined the SLPP shortly after it was relaunched. In the 2018 Sri Lankan local elections , in a surprise result, the SLPP won a 40% plurality of votes, emerging as the party with the most councilors and local authorities; they won 239 Local Government Bodies including Municipals Councils, Urban Councils, and Pradeshiya Sabhas. The SLPP contested in

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1120-617: Was appointed the minister of Public Security in the new government. Starting in December 2023, Alles has been heavily involved in Operation Yukthiya , an anti-drug effort conducted by Sri Lankan Police where over 38,525 suspects being arrested as of 17 January 2024. He has dismissed criticism from groups such as the United Nations Human Rights Council and reaffirmed his commitment to the operation. Alles presented

1155-487: Was arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) on 26 February 2007, allegedly for giving money to the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam . The TID questioned numerous newspaper staff for many days and raided the offices of CBE on 5 March 2007, seizing financial documents and correspondence. On 6 March 2007, CBE's mobile phone services in the north and east of the country were suspended by

1190-465: Was later elected in the 2022 Sri Lankan presidential election by the Parliament of Sri Lanka to complete the remainder of Rajapaksa's term. During the 2022 Sri Lankan presidential election, Dinesh Gunawardena temporarily succeeded Mahinda Rajapaksa as the de facto leader of the SLPP. Gunawardena would later become Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. On 15 December 2023, the National Convention of

1225-495: Was seen as a sign of Rajapaksa's lack of willingness to listen and adhere to the protesters' demands. On 9 May, Rajapaksa tendered his resignation as prime minister to the president. Rajapaksa was heavily criticised by netizens and the public for resigning after instigating violence against peaceful protests. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the new prime minister on 12 May. Eventually, protests peaked on 9 July, after large numbers of protesters gathered at Chatham Street, near

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