In a surprising u-turn, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday said he will stand for a second term to the country’s highest office. Rajapaksa, who is into the second year of his five-year term after becoming president, made the big announcement during an interaction with heads of media houses.  During his successful 2019 election campaign, Rajapaksa had said he would be a one-term president.

"Not only next three years, but there are five years after that for me to implement my policies," Presidential spokesperson Kingsley Ratnayake said in a tweet, quoting the President.

He reiterated the statement in March last year, saying one five-year term was sufficient to implement his ambitious manifesto.

But on Monday the 72-year-old leader is reported to have said that he needed more time to resolve Sri Lanka's worsening economic situation.

His earlier announcement of staying away from a second term had triggered a succession struggle within the powerful Rajapaksa family that dominates the government.

The president’s brothers Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa are Prime Minister and Finance Minister respectively, the latter being the newest Rajapaksa to be appointed to the governmennt earlier this month. 

The eldest of the brothers, Chamal Rajapaksa, is a cabinet minister, as is Namal Rajapaksa, son of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. Chamal Rajapaksa’s son Shasheendra Rajapaksa is a non-cabinet minister.

(SAM)