Left-leaning politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won Sri Lanka’s presidential election after a historic second round of counting. #AnuraKumaraDissanayake
No candidate won more than 50% of the total votes in the first round, where Dissanayake got 42.31% while his closest rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, got 32.76%.
But Dissanayake, who promised voters good governance and anti-corruption measures, emerged victorious after the second count. The count included voters’ second and third choice candidates, securing his win.
The election on Saturday was the first to be held since mass protests unseated the country’s leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in 2022 after Sri Lanka suffered its worst economic crisis.
Dissanayake, 55, told Sri Lankans “this victory belongs to us all”, in a message on the social media platform X.
Once preferences had been tallied, the Election Commission said he had won a total of 5,740,179 votes to Premadasa’s 4,530,902.
Dissanayake has promised to boost the economy by developing the manufacturing, agriculture, and IT sectors. He also plans to maintain the bailout deal with the IMF. Additionally, he is committed to lessening the impact of austerity measures on Sri Lanka’s poorest citizens.
Before this weekend’s vote, every presidential election in Sri Lanka since 1982 saw a winner emerge in the first round of counting. Many have called this poll one of the closest in the country’s history.
Seventeen million Sri Lankans were eligible to vote on Saturday and the country’s elections commission said it was the most peaceful in the country’s history. #AnuraKumaraDissanayake
Still, police announced a curfew late Saturday night citing “public safety”. It was lifted at noon local time (06:30 GMT).
Anura Kumara Dissanayake: A Vision for Reform and Good Governance Amidst Calls for Change
Anura Kumara Dissanayake promised voters tough anti-corruption measures and good governance, messages that strongly resonated with the public. Voters, clamoring for systematic change since the crisis, found hope in Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s vision for reform. His focus on governance reform struck a chord with those seeking a new political direction.
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