Sri Lanka Presidential Elections 2024: Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads polls, early trends suggest

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of National People's Power, is leading the presidential polls in Sri Lanka, as per early trends on Sunday, the Daily Mirror reported.

Polling was held on Saturday from 7 am to 4 pm local time in 22 electoral districts. As per the last trends, Dissanayake has got 49.8 per cent votes while Sajith Premadasa, leader of Samagi Jana Balawegaya, got 25.8% of the votes, followed by the incumbent president and leader of the United National Party, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who mustered 16.4% of the votes.

Ali Sabry, Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs said, "After a long and arduous campaign, the results of the election are now clear. Though I heavily campaigned for President Ranil Wickremasinghe, the people of Sri Lanka have made their decision, and I fully respect their mandate for Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In a democracy, it is crucial to honor the will of the people, and I do so without hesitation. I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. Dissanayake and his team. Leading a country is no easy task, and I genuinely hope that their leadership brings Sri Lanka the peace, prosperity, and stability it so deeply deserves.

"The challenges they will face are immense, and I trust they will reflect on the lessons of the past--both the successes and failures of those who have held power before them. History teaches us that the real challenge is not in winning an election, but in governing wisely and staying true to the needs of the people. Too often, those who have won elections in the past lost sight of the promises they made and missed the opportunity to bring real change. I hope Mr. Dissanayake and his team learn from these past mistakes and lead with a commitment to transparency, integrity, and the long-term good of the country. I wish Mr. Dissanayake and his team every success in their efforts to lead Sri Lanka forward," he added. 

As Sri Lanka continues to recover from the devastating economic crisis of 2022, the people of the island nation, who have been bearing the brunt of the strict austerity measures, voted in the first elections after the crisis.

The crisis, which led to widespread food and fuel shortages, prompted Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country in 2022. The economic policy of Rajapaksa, followed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, is believed to have led to the worst economic crisis in the island nation.

Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister, assumed office as interim president in July 2022 following Rajapaksa's removal, is now seeking re-election.

Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by DNA Staff and is published from ANI.