Presidential Candidate Passes Away Ahead of Sri Lanka Election

A presidential candidate in Sri Lanka, Idroos Mohamed Ilyas, has died following a heart attack. Ilyas, an independent candidate from Puttalam, was among 39 individuals contending in the upcoming election. Despite his passing, his name will remain on the lengthy ballot paper. The election commission will not remove his name.

One of the 39 candidates in Sri Lanka's upcoming presidential election has passed away. Idroos Mohamed Ilyas, 79, who was running as an independent candidate from Puttalam district, died from a heart attack while en route to a hospital, according to his family.

Idroos Mohamed Ilyas had previously served as a member of parliament in the 1990s, representing the island's nine per cent Muslim minority from the northern district of Jaffna. His name and electoral symbol, an 'injection syringe', appeared fourth from the top on the ballot paper, which is notably lengthy due to the high number of candidates.

The election commission has stated that despite his death, Ilyas's name will remain on the ballot paper. This scenario recalls the 1994 presidential election when the main opposition candidate was killed in a suicide bomb explosion and was replaced by his widow. Currently, incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe, main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, and JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake are the leading contenders.

(With inputs from agencies.)