after months of intense speculation, it has become official: Sri Lanka's recently ousted president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, will contest in the country's parliamentary elections which will be held on Ausgust 17. He will be contesting from Kurunegala district as a part of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), and the possibility of him becoming prime minister is not out of the question. The former president's return to power would complicate further efforts at democratic reform within the war-torn country.