Sri Lankan Democratic Crisis 2022: Would It Become a Case of Huntington’s Fourth Wave of Democratisation?

Sri Lanka’s democratic crisis exemplifies the fragility of its democratic institutions, driven by the rise of authoritarianism, social unrest, economic turmoil, widespread public dissent, and weakened governance. The situation reveals how the complexities of democratic governance, shaped by historical legacies, ethnic tensions, and economic mismanagement, converge to create a volatile political landscape. Consequently, Sri Lanka is currently experiencing a level of democratic crisis that has never been seen before. This turmoil raises concerns about the resilience of the country’s democratic institutions and whether these developments indicate a democratic regression or the beginning of a new democratisation process. This study explores whether this crisis aligns with Samuel P. Huntington’s fourth wave of democratisation. The crisis is comparable to several aspects of earlier waves of democracy, including its root causes, its defining characteristics, and the democratic transitions that followed. The analysis reveals that Sri Lanka’s political crisis shares key features with previous waves of democratisation, such as social unrest, declining government legitimacy, and economic turmoil. In this background, Sri Lanka becomes a case of fourth wave of democracy. Ultimately, the study examines the ongoing democratic crisis in Sri Lanka, exploring its potential as a case of Huntington’s fourth wave of democratisation.