Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning leader, was elected as Sri Lanka’s new president, tasked with tackling corruption and revitalising the economy following the nation’s worst financial crisis in decades. Dissanayake, 56, secured 42.3% of the vote, a significant leap from his 2019 performance, defeating incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
Dissanayake celebrated the win as a “vote for change,” attributing the victory to collective efforts. This election, the first since the 2022 economic collapse, went to a second round for the first time in Sri Lankan history, as no candidate received over 50% of the initial vote. Wickremesinghe, who led post-crisis recovery, finished third with 17%, his austerity measures hurting his chances.
Irish Samachar English News
{OR} Kindly click to follow the Irish Samachar News channel on WhatsApp