Anura Kumara Dissanayake Clinches Victory in Sri Lanka's Presidential Election

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of Sri Lanka's Marxist JVP's National People’s Power, secured a significant victory in the presidential election. Garnering 52% of the votes, Dissanayake outpaced main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe. The voter turnout was notably lower than the previous election cycle.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the Marxist JVP's broader front National People's Power (NPP), solidified his lead in Sri Lanka's presidential election on Sunday. The election, held on Saturday, was the first since the country's economic collapse in 2022, with a 75 percent voter turnout, which was lower than the 83 percent in the November 2019 election.

As of 7 am on Sunday, Dissanayake, 56, had amassed 727,000 votes or 52 percent, significantly ahead of his closest rival, 57-year-old Sajith Premadasa, who secured 333,000 votes at 23 percent. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, aged 75, trailed behind with 235,000 votes at 16 percent.

Dissanayake won 21 out of 22 postal district votes and several geographical parliamentary seats across various districts. While Wickremesinghe has not yet conceded, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry congratulated Dissanayake on social media, emphasizing the importance of respecting the democratic mandate. NPP sources indicated that they would be visiting the presidential secretariat to discuss transition formalities.

(With inputs from agencies.)