Srilanka, May 7 -- For those of us who held reservations about the NPP government, one of the greatest concerns was that the 2024 election, which swept to power, could well be the last free and fair election in the country. That is not an unfounded fear, as the experience in many countries, where political fundamentalists or the militant left had won national power, has almost uniformly revealed.

That brings forth the less-talked-about question. Many observers described the election as the first test of the NPP's popularity. But it was more than that. It was first and foremost a test of the NPP's commitment to multiparty democracy, which, I must now concede, the JVP had passed with flying colours.

No matter who wins, the 339 local go...