Marxist candidate takes temporary lead in Sri Lanka presidential election
Sep 22, 2024
Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 22: Reuters on September 22 cited Sri Lanka 's official election results showing that politician Anura Kumara Dissanayaka of the JVP party is temporarily leading after the presidential election on September 21.
Specifically, Mr. Dissanayaka won about 53% of the approximately 1 million votes counted. Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa ranked second with 22%, while President Ranil Wickremesinghe ranked third.
About 75% of Sri Lanka's 17 million voters went to the polls on September 21.
Mr Dissanayake ran as the candidate of the National People's Power (NPP) coalition, which includes the JVP party he leads. The JVP has three seats in the Sri Lankan parliament . Mr Dissanayake was supported by his promise to fight corruption and implement policies to support the poor.
According to AFP, if elected, Mr. Dissanayaka (56 years old) will be Sri Lanka's first Marxist president .
Authorities imposed an eight-hour night curfew for the election. The Election Commission described the vote as the most peaceful in Sri Lanka's electoral history, but police said the curfew was an additional measure to protect the public.
According to Firstpost , Mr. Dissanayaka comes from a middle-class family in Anuradhapura, about 170 km from the capital Colombo. He graduated from Kelaniya University and participated in politics during his student days. He was elected to the Sri Lankan parliament in 2000.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
