The outgoing president Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of a left-wing alliance who is considered the favourite, are vying for first place. By 12 noon, 30% of voters had cast their ballots. The majority of voters, 17 million in total, expressed concern about the economy.
Colombo (/Agencies) – 17 million Sri Lankans were called to vote today for the next president, who will be tasked with leading the country’s economic recovery after years of crisis. The results will be announced tomorrow. According to polls, despite the 38 candidates, the challenge will be resolved between the outgoing president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was appointed head of government after the popular protests that overthrew Gotabaya Rajapaksa; Anura Kumara Dissanayake, for the Marxist-oriented National People’s Power (NPP) coalition; and Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), leader of the opposition.
“I think we desperately need change and I think a lot of people feel the same way. To have a future, the whole country must have a future first,” said Niroshan Perera, 36, a supporter of Dissanayake, who in recent hours has emerged as the front-runner, changing the country’s traditional political landscape.
Sri Lanka’s electoral system requires voters to write in the names of three candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote in the first count (a scenario that commentators consider highly likely), a second count is held, taking into account voters’ second and possibly third choices.
More than 13,000 polling stations were set up across the country and 250,000 civil servants were deployed to serve the polls, Sri Lanka’s election commission chief RML Rathnayake told Reuters. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 4 p.m. By 12 p.m., 30 percent of voters had cast their ballots.
Thanks to a nearly $3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Sri Lanka’s economy has seen a tentative recovery, but high costs remain the most important concern for voters. Inflation has fallen to 0.5% from a peak of 70% in 2022 (when thousands of protesters marched on the capital, Colombo, and forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and subsequently resign) and modest growth is expected in 2024, but a quarter of the population of 22 million people still live in poverty and high debt.
According to the expertsThe next president, with a five-year term, will have to ensure that Sri Lanka adheres to the IMF programme until 2027 to return the economy to a stable growth path, reassuring markets and attracting foreign investors.
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