Gotabaya Rajapaksa vs Jose Figueres Olsen

As Defense Secretary under President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa oversaw the military campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The war ended in 2009 with the defeat of the LTTE, but was marked by allegations of civilian casualties and human rights abuses.

Rajapaksa won the presidential election with a landslide victory, securing 52.25% of the vote. His campaign focused on national security and economic development, appealing to Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism.

Under Rajapaksa's presidency, Sri Lanka faced its worst economic crisis since independence, with shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. The government defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in history, leading to widespread protests.

Following massive protests and the occupation of the presidential palace, Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives and then Singapore. He resigned as president via email, ending his presidency in disgrace.

José María Figueres Olsen was elected President of Costa Rica as a member of the National Liberation Party (PLN). His presidency focused on economic modernization, environmental sustainability, and technological development.

Figueres pursued neoliberal economic reforms, including privatization of state enterprises and trade liberalization. These policies aimed to reduce the fiscal deficit but faced criticism for increasing social inequality.

After his presidency, Figueres was appointed Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Geneva. He held this position until 2006, focusing on global economic issues and public-private partnerships.