Sri Lanka heads to polls amid pandemic as China-friendly Rajapaksa brothers seek to consolidate power

Sri Lankans shrugged off fears of coronavirus and streamed into polling centres on Wednesday to elect a new parliament that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hopes will clear the way for him to boost his powers. The tourism-dependent island nation of 21 million people has been struggling since deadly East Sunday attacks on hotels and churches by Islamist militants last year were followed by lockdowns to slow the spread of the pandemic. Can Sri Lanka avoid getting caught up in China-India rivalry?…

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