They influenced nearly everything — from bureaucracy to courts, police, business and sports. Namal Rajapaksa’s father was a prime minister and then a two-term president from 2005 to 2015.

Namal Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka Podujana Party greets his supporters while campaigning in the upcoming presidential election at Rathgama, Sri Lanka, Aug. 4, 2024.

Rajapaksa is revered by that majority for leading Sri Lanka to victory over ethnic Tamil rebels in 2009, ending a 26-year civil war. In 2015, he lost to the opposition led by his former aide.