Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a leftist politician, won the Sri Lankan presidential election.
The election is on Saturday it is the first time it has been held since mass protests were brought down by the country’s leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in 2022 after the country faced a severe economic crisis.
Dissanayake promised voters tough anti-corruption measures and good governance – messages that resonated strongly with voters who have been clamoring for planned reform since the crisis.
Sunday morning results showed Disanayake in the lead, winning close to 50% of the votes counted. A candidate needs 51% of the total vote to be declared the winner.
Mr Premadasa is in second place with about 26% of the total votes. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is seeking a second term, has received 16% so far, while Namal Rajapaksa, the ousted president’s nephew, has received around 3%.
Seventeen million Sri Lankans were eligible to vote on Saturday.
Voting continued peacefully, although the authorities announced a curfew on Sunday morning that was extended until noon local time (0:630 GMT).
Dissanayake has already received congratulatory messages from supporters of his two main rivals, incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told X that the initial results clearly point to Disanayake’s victory.
“Although I campaigned hard for President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the people of Sri Lanka have made a decision, and I fully respect their authority of Anura Kumara Dissanayake,” he said.
Member of Parliament Harsha de Silva, who supported Premadasa, said he called Dissanayake to congratulate him.
“We campaigned hard for @sajithpremadasa but it didn’t happen. It is now clear that @anuradisanayake will be the new President of #SriLanka,” said de Silva, who represents Colombo in parliament.
Another Premadasa supporter, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson Ma Sumanthiran, said Dissanayake had achieved “remarkable” success without relying on “racial or religious discrimination”.
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