Sri Lanka Votes To Select Its President: Who Will Lead The Island, Bolster Its Economy?

Colombo: More than 17 million of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people are casting their votes today
(Saturday) to select the country’s President, who will face the challenge of bolstering its fragile economy. Sri Lanka had faced its worst financial crisis in decades in 2022 after a severe shortage of dollars. The economic collapse is one of the key issues for the voters, who have struggled with inflation as high as 70%, a battered currency and power tariffs that soared by 65%.

Who are the strong contenders?

The election has shaped up into a close contest between President Ranil Wickremesinghe, main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Marxist-leaning candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake. However, there are as many as 38 candidates vying for the presidential seat. The 75-year-old Wickremesinghe had taken over after former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled in 2022 as following massive protests against the government over the economic crisis.

President Wickremesinghe is fighting a tough battle for a fresh mandate. His previous belt-tightening measures over the last two years stabilized the economy and ended months of food, fuel, and medicine shortages. Also, normalcy returned after civil unrest spurred by the downturn in 2022.

“We must continue with reforms to end bankruptcy,” Wickremesinghe, had said at his final rally in Colombo earlier this week. But, his tax hikes and other financial measures, imposed in accordance to the terms of a $2.9-billion unpopular International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, drew criticism.

The country’s crisis had proven to be an opportunity for the 55-year-old Dissanayaka. There has been a surge in his support base. He had pledged to change the island’s ‘corrupt’ political culture.

Premadasa, 57, the son of a former president assassinated in 1993 during the decades-long civil war, is also a strong contender.

Polling starts at 13,000 stations…

Citizens in Colombo lined up at polling booths, guarded by security personnel early Saturday morning. The voting began at 7 am (0130 GMT). Till last reports came in from local media, the polling was proceeding peacefully across the nation. Polls will close at 4 pm (1030 GMT). The counting will start shortly afterward. The Election Commission is expected to declare the result on Sunday. Over 13,000 polling stations were set up across the country. As many as 250,000 public officials had been roped in for conducting the polls, RML Rathnayake, the head of Sri Lanka’s poll body had told Reuters.