Anura Kumara Dissanayaka Wins Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election

Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 22: Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, the 55-year-old leader of the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peremuna party, has been declared the winner of the election, according to the Election Commission of Sri Lanka. He will be the 9th Executive President of Sri Lanka, beating Sajith Premadasa after the country’s first-ever Presidential Election run-off.

The election commission made the announcement after a second vote count, the first in the country’s history. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe came third and was eliminated after the first round. This was the third time Ranil Wickremesinghe ran for president, with previous attempts in 1999 and 2005.

In a post on X, Dissanayaka called for the unity of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and all Sri Lankans for a new beginning. He said, “The dream we have nurtured for centuries is finally coming true. This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us. Our journey here has been paved by the sacrifices of so many who gave their sweat, tears, and even their lives for this cause. Their sacrifices are not forgotten. We hold the scepter of their hopes and struggles, knowing the responsibility it carries. The millions of eyes filled with hope and expectation push us forward, and together, we stand ready to rewrite Sri Lankan history. This dream can only be realized with a fresh start. The unity of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and all Sri Lankans is the bedrock of this new beginning. The New Renaissance we seek will rise from this shared strength and vision. Let us join hands and shape this future together!”

The president-elect is expected to be sworn in on Monday. Rauff Hakeem, a parliamentarian with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, congratulated Dissanayake for his apparent election victory, calling it a “feat” and noting that “The people of Sri Lanka have expressed their sincere determination in the 9th Presidential election of the country.”

This was the first presidential election of Sri Lanka after the 2022 economic crisis caused by excessive borrowing on projects that did not generate revenue. Economic mismanagement by successive governments weakened Sri Lanka’s public finances. The situation was worsened by deep tax cuts enacted by the Rajapaksa government in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic further impacted Sri Lanka’s revenue base, mainly from tourism. Remittances from nationals working abroad dropped, forcing the government to draw from foreign exchange reserves. Fuel shortages led to long queues at filling stations and frequent blackouts, while hospitals ran short of medicine. The economic collapse led to persistent antigovernment protests, with demonstrators taking over key buildings and forcing then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign. Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected by a parliamentary vote in July 2022 to cover the remainder of Rajapaksa’s five-year term.