Pandemic helps Sri Lanka president bypass dissolved parliament

Critics see 'constitutional crisis' with opposition to Rajapaksa neutralized

20200428 Sri Lanka Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has reacted in military fashion to the COVID-19 pandemic, and marginalized the parliamentary majority ahead of elections.   © Reuters

MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR, Asia regional correspondent

BANGKOK -- President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is enjoying an extended political honeymoon in Sri Lanka with his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic -- his first major test five months into his inaugural term.

The health crisis is a political shot in the arm for Rajapaksa, who hails from the country's most influential political clan. The pandemic continues as the merits of conducting parliamentary elections on June 20 are being considered for the strategically located island in the Indian Ocean.

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