Sri Lankans elect Marxist-leaning Dissanayake as president to fix economy
Dissanayake polled 42.3 per cent of the votes, a massive boost to the 3 per cent he managed in the last presidential election in 2019
Sri Lankans elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as new president on Sunday, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following the South Asian nation’s worst financial crisis in decades.
Dissanayake, 55, who does not possess political lineage like some of his rivals in the presidential election, led from start to finish during the counting of votes, knocking out incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
“We believe that we can turn this country around, we can build a stable government … and move forward. For me this is not a position, it is a responsibility,” Dissanayake told reporters after his victory which was confirmed following a second tally of votes.
“The dream we have nurtured for centuries is finally coming true,” he said. “This victory belongs to all of us.
“Millions of eyes filled with hope and expectation push us forward, and together, we stand ready to rewrite Sri Lankan history.”
03:12
Sri Lankans choose Marxist-leaning Dissanayake as president to fix economy
The election was a referendum on Wickremesinghe, who led the heavily indebted nation’s fragile economic recovery from an economic meltdown, but the austerity measures that were key to this recovery angered voters. He finished third with 17 per cent of the votes.
