But will President Rajapakse be able to meet these challenges? A president whose original backers were the Sinhala nationalists could be considered unlikely to institute devolution and treat non-Sinhalese minorities on an equal footing. His previous actions, riding roughshod over civil society — stringent laws policing the operation of NGOs — and the judiciary are not indicative of future moves to nurture democratic institutions.

On the other hand, elections were held in the eastern province where a key Prabhakaran aide, Karuna transformed his breakaway Eastern faction into a recognised political party (TMVP), and himself into a member of parliament. If separatists can become parliamentarians, then we should also wait to see if a Sinhalese-nationalist supported president who has used a military solution against the LTTE, shifts to a political and economic solution for the Tamil and other minorities in the country. That is the only chance for a durable peace in the embattled island.

The writer is at the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi express@expressindia.com