Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, born on June 20, 1949, in Palatuwa, Sri Lanka, is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the 7th President of Sri Lanka from November 2019 to July 2022. He is the younger brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Before entering politics, Gotabaya served in the Sri Lanka Army for 20 years and later worked as a defense secretary under his brother's presidency from 2005 to 2015. He was elected President in November 2019 on a national security platform following the Easter Sunday attacks. His presidency was ended by the 2022 economic crisis — mass protests (Aragalaya) forced him to flee the country and eventually resign. He returned to Sri Lanka in 2022 and remains a political figure in the country.