<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidakd7cyG6GwNj" /></p>

<p>Marxist-leaning leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who grabbed an early lead in the presidential election in Sri Lanka, vowed on Sunday (Sep&nbsp;22) that he would not scrap&nbsp;the country's unpopular four-year&nbsp;$2.9 billion IMF (International Monetary Fund) bailout agreement, but instead renegotiate it.</p>

<p>Dissanayake, 55, and his People's Liberation Front (JVP) will "not tear up" the IMF deal, party politburo member Bimal Ratnayake told the news agency AFP.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-presidential-election-anura-kumara-dissanayake-grabs-early-lead-to-become-president-760825">Sri Lanka presidential election: Anura Kumara Dissanayake grabs early lead to become president</a></strong></p>

<p>"Our plan is to engage with the IMF and introduce certain amendments.&nbsp;We will not tear up the IMF programme. It is a binding document, but there is a provision to renegotiate," Ratnayake said.</p>

<h2><strong>Alteration of bailout programme</strong></h2>

<p>Ratnayake told AFP that&nbsp;Dissanayake&nbsp;had pledged to reduce income taxes that were doubled by President Ranil Wickremesinghe and slash sales taxes on food and medicines.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We think we can get those reductions into the programme and continue with the four-year bailout programme," the JVP politburo member further said.</p>

<p>Sri Lanka saw its first election since the economy buckled in 2022&nbsp;under a severe foreign exchange shortage, leaving the country unable to pay for imports of essentials like&nbsp;fuel, medicine and cooking gas.</p>

<p>Thousands of protesters marched in Colombo in 2022 and occupied the president's office and residence, forcing then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and later resign.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch | Race to Power:&nbsp;Who do people trust for Sri Lanka's future?</strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/sri-lanka-presidential-election-who-do-people-trust-for-island-nations-future-760803/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Buttressed by a $2.9 billion bailout programme from the IMF, the economy has posted a tentative recovery, but the high cost of living is still a critical issue for many voters.</p>

<h2><strong>Concerns expressed by Dissanayake's rivals</strong></h2>

<p>Dissanayake's rivals had raised fears that&nbsp;his Marxist party would scrap the IMF programme and push the country back into an economic crisis similar to the chaos of 2022.</p>

<p>A report by the news agency Reuters earlier said that the winner of the election would have to ensure that&nbsp;Sri&nbsp;Lanka&nbsp;sticks with the IMF programme until 2027 to get its economy on a stable&nbsp;growth path, reassure markets, repay debt, attract investors and help a quarter of its people climb out of poverty.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Marxist-leaning leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who grabbed an early lead in the presidential election in Sri Lanka, vowed on Sunday (Sep 22) that he would not scrap the country's unpopular four-year $2.

Marxist-leaning leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who grabbed an early lead in the presidential election in Sri Lanka, vowed on Sunday (Sep 22) that he would not scrap the country's unpopular four-year $2.9 billion IMF (International Monetary Fund) bailout agreement, but instead renegotiate it. Dissanayake, 55, and his People's Liberation Front (JVP) will "not tear up" the IMF deal, party politburo member Bimal Ratnayake told the news agency AFP. Also read | Sri Lanka presidential election: Anura Kumara Dissanayake grabs early lead to become president "Our plan is to engage with the IMF and introduce certain amendments. We will not tear up the IMF programme. It is a binding document, but there is a provision to renegotiate," Ratnayake said. Alteration of bailout programme Ratnayake told AFP that Dissanayake had pledged to reduce income taxes that were doubled by President Ranil Wickremesinghe and slash sales taxes on food and medicines. "We think we can get those reductions into the programme and continue with the four-year bailout programme," the JVP politburo member further said. Sri Lanka saw its first election since the economy buckled in 2022 under a severe foreign exchange shortage, leaving the country unable to pay for imports of essentials like fuel, medicine and cooking gas. Thousands of protesters marched in Colombo in 2022 and occupied the president's office and residence, forcing then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and later resign. Also watch | Race to Power: Who do people trust for Sri Lanka's future? × Buttressed by a $2.9 billion bailout programme from the IMF, the economy has posted a tentative recovery, but the high cost of living is still a critical issue for many voters. Concerns expressed by Dissanayake's rivals Dissanayake's rivals had raised fears that his Marxist party would scrap the IMF programme and push the country back into an economic crisis similar to the chaos of 2022. A report by the news agency Reuters earlier said that the winner of the election would have to ensure that Sri Lanka sticks with the IMF programme until 2027 to get its economy on a stable growth path, reassure markets, repay debt, attract investors and help a quarter of its people climb out of poverty. (With inputs from agencies)

Sri Lanka presidential election: Anura Kumara Dissanayake vows not to scrap IMF deal

sri-lanka-imf-deal

Sri Lanka Imf Deal, News on Sri Lanka Imf Deal, stories on Sri Lanka Imf Deal, articles on Sri Lanka Imf Deal, Sri Lanka Imf Deal stories at Wion, Sri Lanka Imf Deal news, Sri Lanka Imf Deal latest news

sri lanka-imf-deal

Sri Lanka presidential election: Anura Kumara Dissanayake vows not to scrap IMF deal