Sri Lanka: 17.1 million vote in snap elections as President Dissanayake seeks stronger mandate
Sri Lanka elections
Sri Lanka on Thursday (Nov. 14) voted in snap parliamentary elections, in which the new leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's party is expected to solidify its mandate for economic reforms in the wake of a severe national crisis.
The coalition — National People's Power (NPP), led by Dissanayake's JVP or the People's Liberation Front, enters the race with only three seats from the last assembly.
Around 17.1 million Sri Lankans are choosing from between 8,800 candidates. For the polling process, 80,000 police personnel have been deployed and drones are being used to monitor voting areas—a historic first for Sri Lanka, according to police spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa.
Voting will close at 4:00 pm (1030 GMT).
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Anura Kumara Dissanayake took power after sweeping the September elections. He came to power promising to curb corruption and reclaim misappropriated assets and is looking to secure a two-thirds majority in the 225-seat legislature.
He has been an MP for over two decades — nearly 25 years, and served as Sri Lanka's agriculture minister briefly.
While the JVP party has insurgent roots, leading two insurrections in the 1970s and ’80s — leading to the deaths of at least 80,000 people, Dissanayake took power peacefully on September 21, reports AFP.
For voters like 70-year-old Milton Gankandage in Colombo, Dissanayake offers a break from the cycle of disillusionment with previous leaders. “I expect a new country, a new government that is friendly towards the people,” he said.
While Dissanayake has so far chosen to maintain a controversial $2.9 billion IMF bailout initially brokered by his predecessor, the move has gained cautious support from major business leaders like the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, who see it as a necessary foundation for stability. “Continuing reforms... could encourage both investor confidence and fiscal discipline, setting a foundation for sustainable growth,” noted Chamber Secretary Bhuwanekabahu Perera.
Yet not everyone is convinced. Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has pledged to keep pressure on the new president for tax relief.
(With inputs from agencies)
