Sri Lanka on Sunday elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning politician, as its new president, placing faith in his commitment to combat corruption and strengthen the country's fragile economic recovery following its worst financial crisis in decades.
Dissanayake, 55, who lacks the political family background of some of his competitors, led the presidential election from the start, ultimately defeating incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa to become Sri Lanka's 10th president.
Following his victory, Dissanayake called on his fellow citizens to join him in "rewriting" the history of the cash-strapped nation, as he won the vote amidst widespread discontent over an unprecedented financial crisis.
Previously considered a fringe politician, Dissanayake's party garnered less than 4% of votes in the parliamentary elections four years ago. However, his popularity surged as the economic meltdown brought severe hardships to the country.
“The dream we've had for centuries is finally coming true,” Dissanayake said in a statement after his victory was confirmed. "This victory is for all of us. Millions of hopeful eyes are pushing us forward, and together, we will rewrite Sri Lanka’s history."
Outgoing President Wickremesinghe, who took office during the 2022 economic collapse and implemented strict austerity measures as part of an IMF bailout, finished a distant third with 17% of the vote. In his statement, Wickremesinghe said, “History will judge my efforts, but I can confidently say I did my best to stabilize the country during one of its darkest times.”
He congratulated Dissanayake and expressed confidence that the new president would guide Sri Lanka toward continued growth and stability.
Dissanayake will be sworn in on Monday at the colonial-era President's Secretariat in Colombo, according to election commission officials. He secured 5.6 million votes, or 42.3%, while Premadasa came in second with 32.8%. This was the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that the presidential race was decided through a second round of counting, as neither of the top two candidates received the required 50% of the votes in the initial round.
