COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – In a stunning political upset, Sri Lanka has elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a once-fringe Marxist politician, as its new president. The election commission declared Dissanayake the winner on Sunday, following a vote that reflected widespread discontent over the country’s handling of its worst financial crisis in decades.
Dissanayake, the 55-year-old leader of the People’s Liberation Front, secured 42.31% of the vote in Saturday’s election, outpacing opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who garnered 32.76%. Outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had overseen stringent austerity measures as part of an IMF bailout, finished a distant third with 17.27%.
The election saw a high turnout, with approximately 76% of Sri Lanka’s 17.1 million eligible voters casting ballots. Economic concerns dominated the campaign, as citizens expressed frustration over the hardships endured since the peak of the financial crisis two years ago.
Dissanayake’s victory marks a dramatic shift in Sri Lankan politics. His once-marginal Marxist party, which led two failed uprisings in the 1970s and 1980s, had previously struggled to gain traction, winning less than 4% of the vote in the 2020 parliamentary elections. However, the recent economic turmoil provided an opportunity for Dissanayake to capitalize on his pledge to reform Sri Lanka’s “corrupt” political culture.
“Our country needs a new political culture,” Dissanayake stated after casting his vote on Saturday.
While Wickremesinghe has yet to concede, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry acknowledged Dissanayake’s victory on social media, stating, “Though I heavily campaigned for President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the people of Sri Lanka have made their decision, and I fully respect their mandate for Anura Kumara Dissanayake.”
Dissanayake is set to be sworn in on Monday morning at the colonial-era President Secretariat in Colombo. His party has indicated that while they do not intend to “tear up” the IMF deal, they will seek modifications. Bimal Ratnayake, a party politburo member, stated, “It is a binding document, but there is a provision to renegotiate.”
The incoming administration has pledged to reduce income taxes that were doubled under Wickremesinghe and to slash sales taxes on food and medicines. They believe these adjustments can be incorporated into the existing four-year bailout program.
Addressing geopolitical concerns, Dissanayake’s party sought to reassure India that any administration he led would not become entangled in rivalries between India and China, Sri Lanka’s largest lender. “Sri Lankan territory will not be used against any other nation,” Ratnayake affirmed.
As Sri Lanka prepares for this significant political transition, the country faces the challenge of balancing economic recovery with the new administration’s promises of reform and relief for its citizens. The international community will be watching closely as Dissanayake attempts to navigate these complex issues and chart a new course for the island nation.
