evidence: Although the Aragalaya demanded "system-wide changes" following the departure of the Rajapaksas, none have taken place since. This year’s local government elections were postponed indefinitely, against the ruling of the Electoral Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL), by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who said it was too risky to conduct polling during an economic crisis. Wickremesinghe, whom some observers suggested sought to call off the elections to prevent an embarrassing ruling-party loss, further cited the economic crisis in deliberately withholding funds approved by the parliament for staging the polls. Wickremesinghe has also deployed security forces and utilized repressive laws such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to violently break up demonstrations at which participants called for elections, and to arrest protest leaders. Currently, no elections are scheduled until the presidential poll in the latter half of 2024. By leaving citizens without an immediate avenue to express their preferences via elections, and facing increasing risks associated with protests, Sri Lanka’s embattled leaders are both shielding themselves from public scrutiny and sending the message that debt restructuring and the economy take priority over democratic processes.