Left-Leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka's Presidential election

Left-leaning leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has secured the presidency after a second round of counting, marking a pivotal shift for the crisis-hit nation. Dissanayake’s victory is seen as a response to widespread demands for political change following the ousting of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during mass protests in 2022.

Dissanayake, leader of the Marxist-leaning Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance, won with 5.74 million votes to opposition leader Sajith Premadasa’s 4.53 million. His promise of good governance and tough anti-corruption measures resonated with a population still reeling from Sri Lanka’s worst economic meltdown.

“This victory belongs to us all,” Dissanayake, 55, declared in a message on X (formerly Twitter) after his win. His platform of economic revival includes strengthening the manufacturing, agriculture, and IT sectors, and his commitment to continue Sri Lanka’s $2.9 billion bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) while softening its impact on the poor further bolstered his appeal.

Also Read: Social Democrats secure victory in Brandenburg, fends off far-right surge

The election is historic not only for Dissanayake’s left-leaning win but also for being the first in Sri Lanka’s modern history to require a second round of counting after no candidate surpassed the 50% mark in the initial tally. Dissanayake secured 42.31% in the first round, leading Premadasa’s 32.76%, but needed voters’ second and third preferences to claim the presidency.

Sri Lankans, who voted in record numbers, faced this momentous decision in the aftermath of the “Aragalaya” protests—Sinhala for “struggle”—that toppled Rajapaksa’s administration amid severe shortages of fuel, food, and medicine. The crisis, driven by corruption, policy missteps, and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, saw inflation soar to 70%, and the nation’s foreign currency reserves dry up.

While Dissanayake’s JVP had a violent past marked by armed uprisings in the 1970s and ’80s, he has sought to moderate its hard-left stance, emerging as a symbol of reform in the eyes of frustrated voters. “The most serious challenge is how to restore this economy,” political scientist Dr. Athulasiri Samarakoon told the BBC, pointing to the monumental task ahead for the new president.

Outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who came third with 17% of the vote, congratulated Dissanayake, saying, “With much love and respect for this beloved nation, I hand over its future to the new president.”

As Dissanayake prepares to take office, he will face the dual challenges of economic recovery and lifting millions of Sri Lankans out of poverty. His administration’s focus will be on restructuring the country’s massive $83 billion public debt, including $36 billion in foreign debt, of which $7 billion is owed to China.

While Premadasa also championed the IT sector and called for 25 new industrial zones, Dissanayake’s reformist agenda and anti-corruption stance ultimately carried the day, reflecting a clear demand for a break from the past.

This election, one of the closest in Sri Lankan history, signals not just a new presidency but also a profound shift in the nation’s political and economic future.