How Mahinda Rajapaksa went from being a spent force to PM in 5 years

When he takes the oath of office next week, Rajapaksa will become prime minister for the fourth time in his career

When two-time president Mahinda Rajapaksa lost Sri Lanka's presidential elections in 2015, many thought the shrewd leader, who crushed the Tamil Tigers in a brutal military campaign, was a spent force.

But five years later, the 74-year-old has returned to power, with his newly-formed Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) scripting history by becoming the political party with the shortest life span to gain absolute power in the island nation's political history.

The SLPP bagged a total of 150 seats with its allies in the 225-member assembly, securing two-thirds majority in Parliament needed to effect key constitutional changes to consolidate the powerful Rajapaksa