Marxist-Leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake Wins Sri Lanka Presidential Election with 42.3% Votes

Sep 22, 2024, 09:20 AM

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Marxist-leaning leader of Sri Lanka's National People's Power (NPP) party, has won the presidential election, becoming the country's 9th Executive President. Dissanayake secured 42.3% of the votes, leading with more than 5.6 million votes. He led the early vote count with 56% of postal votes from 7 electoral districts, while his two main opponents trailed with 19% each. Dissanayake's victory marks a historic win for a Marxist candidate in Sri Lanka. Local TV says the leftist candidate won a tightly contested race.