Chandrika Kumaratunga vs Mario Garcia Menocal

Kumaratunga won the presidential election, becoming the first female president of Sri Lanka. She led the People's Alliance coalition and promised peace negotiations with the LTTE.

Kumaratunga survived a suicide bomb attack by the LTTE during a rally at Colombo Town Hall. The blast killed 15 people and injured her, causing permanent damage to her right eye.

Kumaratunga proposed a new constitution to devolve power to provinces, aiming to address Tamil grievances. The proposal faced opposition from Sinhalese nationalists and was not adopted.

Kumaratunga's government signed a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE, brokered by Norway. The peace process stalled due to disagreements over power-sharing and LTTE's refusal to disarm.

Mario Garcia Menocal was elected president of Cuba as the Conservative Party candidate. His presidency focused on economic development and infrastructure projects, leveraging his engineering background.

Menocal oversaw the construction of the Central Highway, a major infrastructure project connecting Havana to eastern Cuba. The highway improved transportation and trade, but was criticized for high costs and corruption.

Menocal was re-elected in a disputed election marked by allegations of fraud and voter intimidation. The opposition Liberal Party claimed the election was stolen, leading to political instability and the failed coup by Jose Miguel Gomez.

Menocal declared war on Germany in 1917, aligning Cuba with the Allied powers. Cuba's involvement was largely symbolic, but it strengthened ties with the United States and led to economic benefits from sugar exports.