Anura Kumara Dissanayake Wins Sri Lanka Presidential Election with 42.31% of Vote, Becomes First Leftist President

Sep 22, 2024, 05:05 PM

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the Marxist National People's Power (NPP), has been declared the winner of Sri Lanka's presidential election. Dissanayake secured 42.31% of the vote, defeating incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. He led with 56% of postal votes and garnered over 5.6 million votes. This election marks a historic shift as Dissanayake becomes Sri Lanka's first leftist president. His victory comes amid widespread public discontent over the country's economic crisis, which has been attributed to the previous political elite. Notably, this was the first recount to decide such an election. Dissanayake has pledged to fight corruption and implement anti-poverty policies. He will be sworn in as the ninth executive president of Sri Lanka.