Namal Rajapaksa Votes in Sri Lankan Presidential Election
Namal Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, cast his vote in the 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election. He encouraged citizens to vote, emphasizing the importance of every vote for the future of Sri Lanka.
Key Candidates
Namal Rajapaksa is running as a candidate from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party. Other prominent candidates include:
- Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe
- Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa
- Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party
Election Context
This election is the first since the 2022 economic crisis, which led to severe food and fuel shortages and caused former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took office after Gotabaya’s departure, is seeking re-election. He is campaigning with the slogan “Puluwan Sri Lanka” or “Sri Lanka Can.”
Polling Details
Voting will take place across 13,134 polling stations nationwide, starting at 7 am local time and closing at 4 pm. A total of 38 candidates are competing for the presidency.
Economic Issues
The economy is a major issue in this election. The 2022 crisis saw inflation rise to 70% and the currency depreciate by 45%. Long queues for fuel became a common sight, severely affecting daily life.
Doubts Revealed
Namal Rajapaksa -: Namal Rajapaksa is the son of Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was a former President of Sri Lanka. Namal is also a politician.
Sri Lankan Presidential Election -: This is an election where people in Sri Lanka vote to choose their President, the leader of the country.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna -: This is a political party in Sri Lanka. Political parties are groups of people who have similar ideas about how the country should be run.
2022 economic crisis -: In 2022, Sri Lanka faced a big problem with its economy. This means the country had trouble with money, leading to high prices and not enough goods for people.
Incumbent President -: The incumbent President is the person who is currently the President and is running again to keep their job.
Ranil Wickremesinghe -: Ranil Wickremesinghe is the current President of Sri Lanka. He became President after the previous one, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, left the country.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa -: Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the President of Sri Lanka before Ranil Wickremesinghe. He left the country during the economic crisis.
Inflation -: Inflation means that the prices of things go up, so people need more money to buy the same things they used to buy for less.
Shortages -: Shortages mean that there are not enough goods, like food or fuel, for everyone who needs them.
