A notable number of women are contesting Sri Lanka’s general elections on Thursday, signalling a potential shift in the nation’s male-dominated political landscape, but analysts warn that simply having more female candidates is not enough to transform the country’s leadership culture.

The rise in female candidates come as Sri Lankans prepare to elect the first parliament under the country’s inaugural leftist government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power (NPP) party.

Dissanayake’s election in September, the first presidential vote after the country’s debilitating economic crisis in 2022, marked a pivotal moment in Sri Lanka’s political history. His rise ushered in a caretaker government and the appointment of Harini Amarasuriya as the nation’s third female prime minister.

Read more at: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3286442/sri-lankas-election-sees-surge-female-candidates-can-it-break-patriarchal-norms