Under normal circumstances, the victory of Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Sri Lanka's presidential election would have been called a political earthquake. But with many having labelled the left-leaning politician as a strong frontrunner in the run-up to the poll,

Dissanayake’s victory, rooted in his image as an agent of change, now faces the reality of governing a nation facing deep-seated ethnic divisions, as his past opposition to Tamil reconciliation efforts and the JVP’s exclusionary politics raise concerns about his ability to unite the country.

Tamils form 12% of the country's 22 million population, but have long been electorally sidelined, as most candidates belong to the majority Sinhala population and many Tamils say they have no hope of a better future from those candidates.