On February 9, 2010, Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaska dissolved the country's parliament and demanded early elections to replace the previous members of parliament. The maneuver was an attempt by Rajapaska to utilize his re-election success by increasing the number of seats for his own party, the Freedom Alliance. The parliament's dissolution ensued the one day after Sri Lankan military police arrested defeated opposition presidential candidate and former general Sarath Fonseka. Sri Lanka's democracy remains fragile as it recovers from a 26 year long civil war, with more recent concerns centering around the removal of an allegedly corrupt chief justice.

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