On July 9, the people of Sri Lanka took democracy into their own hands and ensured the departure of the last of the Rajapaksa brothers – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who had to flee his Colombo residence as tens of thousands of people gathered outside. The private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was torched. Both leaders have now promised to resign formally.

But the question remains – are Sri Lanka’s political parties and political leaders up to the task of steering the country out of its economic crisis that has crippled the lives of ordinary people?

To answer these questions, joining from Colombo is Amal Jayasinghe, veteran Colombo-based journalist and Bureau Chief of the French news agency, AFP. 

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