Sri Lanka

The run-up to the election was the most violent on record with over 60 deaths being notified. A series of curfews was used to stem the violence. The election was won by former prime minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, whose United National Party (UNP) secured 109 seats in the 225-member assembly; in alliance with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress the UNP secured sufficient seats to take power. The president’s party, the People’s Alliance, won only 77 seats. Immediately there were problems between the prime minister and president over the composition of the Cabinet, with Kumaratunga, for a time, refusing to relinquish the defence and finance portfolios.

The new government pledged to seek an answer to the continuing problems of Tamil independence and were significantly helped by an LTTE ceasefire in late December; uniquely for Sri Lanka, the government acknowledged the move with a ceasefire of its own and the Norwegian-mediated peace talks resumed.

A further ceasefire in February confirmed the growing evidence of goodwill between the two sides. The LTTE agreed to the decommissioning of its weapons and prisoners of war were also exchanged. In a further conciliatory gesture the government lifted the ban on the LTTE. Structured peace talks began in October to discuss the LTTE’s demand for political autonomy in the north and east of the country, with their demands for full independence having been dropped. Any constitutional changes will need to be approved in a referendum.

In a snap election held in April 2004 the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won the most seats but failed to win a majority. Wickramasinghe stood down and was replaced as prime minister by Mahinda Rajapakse of the UPFA, who set about trying to form a strong ruling coalition to push forward the peace process and increase stability in the country.

On December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale occurred in the Indian Ocean, with its epicentre off the western coast of Indonesia. The third largest earthquake in recorded history generated a massive tsunami, which caused widespread devastation when it hit land. Sri Lanka was particularly badly affected, with many coastal communities destroyed by waves that reached 10 m (30 ft) high. Initial estimates suggested that more than 30,000 Sri Lankans were killed. Additionally, the LTTE declared tens of thousands of deaths in the areas under its control. As many as 1.5 million people were displaced or left homeless following the disaster. A train travelling between Galle and Colombo was swept away by the waves, killing 1,600 people onboard—the worst rail disaster on record. An agreement was reached in June that saw disaster aid shared with the LTTE for use in its occupied areas.

In November 2005, at the end of President Kumaratunga’s two terms as president, new elections were held pitting the prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse against Ranil Wickramasinghe of the UNP, as well as 11 other outside candidates. Rajapakse was the winner, securing just over 50 per cent of the vote. Many Tamils boycotted the election in protest at Rajapakse, who advocates a renegotiation of the peace deal with the LTTE and has publicly criticized the sharing of aid with the group. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was appointed the new prime minister.