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Why did President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flee Sri Lanka in 2022?

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Francisco Goya, Saturn — Generation Z protests In Greek and Roman myth the old god consumes his children to preserve his power. In many countries today the young face a version of the same fate: priced out of housing, burdened by debt, and taxed to sustain the pensions and property wealth of older generations.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on July 13, 2022, following months of intense public unrest driven by a severe economic collapse.12

The crisis was characterized by rapid inflation, food scarcity, and daily power outages, which were exacerbated by fiscal mismanagement, the concentration of power within the Rajapaksa family, pandemic-related disruptions, and a failed fertilizer ban. As global fuel prices surged following the invasion of Ukraine, the government's inability to maintain essential services made the situation untenable for the public.132

Protests, led significantly by students and young professionals, began in March 2022 and demanded the resignation of the Rajapaksa administration. While other family members resigned from their ministerial positions earlier, Gotabaya Rajapaksa initially refused to step down. The movement reached a breaking point on July 9, 2022, when demonstrators stormed and occupied the presidential palace. Facing sustained pressure and the collapse of his government's authority, Rajapaksa fled the country shortly thereafter.132