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.

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.

The Sri Lanka People's Front said the 38-year-old lawyer Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa, will be its candidate in the Sept. 21 election, the first ...

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.