Change in Sri Lanka

It seems that democracy is not dead after all in Sri Lanka.  The country with arguably the longest name for a capital in the world (Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte - Colombo is just the commercial capital) has ousted Mahinda Rajapaksa from power after ten years in power.  Ten years is probably sufficient for an individual to wield power to achieve their policy aims before either jadedness or power mania take hold.  When Tony Blair left office after a decade at the top, the nature of his utterances ("The more I listen to myself and the less I listen to others, the more I realise I am right.") suggested it was not a moment too soon.
Rajapaksa is a divisive figure on the island, successfully ending the decades-long struggle against the Tamil Tigers insurgency but committing war crimes in the process, he also instituted curtailments to civil liberties while acquiring sweeping powers for himself.  Yet his concession of defeat to a former cabinet colleague, Maithripala Sirisena, is important.  Mr Sirisena, who benefitted from the votes of the disgruntled Tamil community, installed veteran opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe as prime minister in a ceremony laden with symbolism. His oath was not taken by the chief justice, a tainted Rajapaksa appointee, but by a judge from the Tamil community whose votes swept Mr Sirisena to victory.  Whether Mr Sirisena is the man to restore 'freedom, democracy and the rule of law' remains to be seen - history is littered with idealist leaders who became corrupted by the trappings of power - but that an alternation as president has occurred is crucial in itself.