Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday won the presidential election in Sri Lanka defeating incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Sri Lanka’s election commission formally announced that, Dissanayake, 55, secured 42.31% of the vote in Saturday’s election, with opposition leader Sajith Premadasa finishing second. Wickremesinghe, the sitting president, placed a distant third.
The election commission confirmed the results on its official website.Dissanayake is scheduled to be sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president on Monday.
Polling was conducted across over 13,400 stations in 22 electoral districts, with around 75% of Sri Lanka’s 17 million eligible voters participating. Dissanayake’s victory marks a significant turning point for his once-marginal Marxist party, which had previously struggled to gain political influence after leading two failed uprisings in the 1970s and 1980s that resulted in over 80,000 deaths.
Sri Lanka’s new President elect Dissanayake has called for national unity following his victory and said, “The unity of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and all Sri Lankans is the bedrock of a new beginning.” He further said that the “new renaissance we seek will rise from this shared strength and vision” and expressed hope for “a fresh start” to realize the country’s aspirations.
Read this also: Anura Dissanayake elected new Sri Lanka president: What is his stance on India?
The party, now poised to lead the nation, has pledged not to abolish the controversial $2.9 billion IMF bailout agreement but aims to renegotiate its terms.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka imposed a night curfew on Saturday despite the election proceeding peacefully, as public discontent over the unpopular IMF deal continues to simmer. The election is widely seen as a referendum on this bailout.Sri Lanka presidential election result
Sri Lanka’s election commission formally announced that, Dissanayake, 55, secured 42.31% of the vote in Saturday’s election, with opposition leader Sajith Premadasa finishing second. Wickremesinghe, the sitting president, placed a distant third.
The election commission confirmed the results on its official website.Dissanayake is scheduled to be sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president on Monday.
Polling was conducted across over 13,400 stations in 22 electoral districts, with around 75% of Sri Lanka’s 17 million eligible voters participating. Dissanayake’s victory marks a significant turning point for his once-marginal Marxist party, which had previously struggled to gain political influence after leading two failed uprisings in the 1970s and 1980s that resulted in over 80,000 deaths.
Sri Lanka’s new President elect Dissanayake has called for national unity following his victory and said, “The unity of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and all Sri Lankans is the bedrock of a new beginning.” He further said that the “new renaissance we seek will rise from this shared strength and vision” and expressed hope for “a fresh start” to realize the country’s aspirations.
Read this also: Anura Dissanayake elected new Sri Lanka president: What is his stance on India?
The party, now poised to lead the nation, has pledged not to abolish the controversial $2.9 billion IMF bailout agreement but aims to renegotiate its terms.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka imposed a night curfew on Saturday despite the election proceeding peacefully, as public discontent over the unpopular IMF deal continues to simmer. The election is widely seen as a referendum on this bailout.
Sri Lanka presidential election result
Meanwhile, outgoing Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe congratulated his Anura Kumara Dissanayaka. “With much love and respect for this beloved nation, I hand over its future to the new President,” Wickremesinghe said in a statement.