Sri Lanka has elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning politician, as its new president. The 55-year-old won on Sunday, promising to fight corruption and help the country recover from its worst financial crisis in decades.
Dissanayake, who lacks the political background of some other candidates, led the vote count from the beginning. He defeated current President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa to become Sri Lanka’s 10th president.
After his victory, Dissanayake called on his fellow citizens to help him “rewrite” the nation’s history, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction due to the economic crisis. He acknowledged that his party had only received less than 4% of the vote in the last parliamentary elections four years ago, but support surged as people faced economic hardships.
Outgoing President Wickremesinghe, who took office during the economic crisis and implemented strict austerity measures as part of an IMF bailout, finished third with only 17% of the vote. He expressed that history would judge his efforts but was proud of trying to stabilize the country during tough times. Wickremesinghe congratulated Dissanayake and expressed confidence that he would guide Sri Lanka toward growth and stability.
Dissanayake received 5.6 million votes, or 42.3%, while Premadasa came in second with 32.8%. This election was notable as it was the first time Sri Lanka’s presidential race required a second round of counting since no candidate achieved the necessary 50% of the votes to win outright.
