Heir apparent to Sri Lanka’s powerful Rajapaksa family will run in September’s presidential election

Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The man who is considered the heir apparent to the powerful Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka will contest the presidential election in September. That’s according to his political party. It’s an apparent bid to regain his family’s lost power after a humiliating setback two years ago during an unprecedented economic crisis in the Indian ocean island nation. The Sri Lanka Peoples’ Front says Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, will be its candidate. Current President Ranil Wickremesinghe also has said he will run. The vote is key to efforts to conclude a critical debt restructuring program.