Left leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake is Sri Lanka’s President

Poll results were declared by the Election Commission after a second count of votes; ‘AKD’, as he is popularly known, has pledged to end corruption and change the political culture of the country

Leftist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake emerged winner in Sri Lanka’s presidential race on Sunday (September 22, 2024), obtaining a mandate that signals a clean break from the island nation’s political establishment and ushers in unprecedented change.  

Mr. Dissanayake was officially declared President-elect by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka after it completed a second count of votes to add preference votes, an exercise undertaken for the first time in the country’s election history.

The tally of preferential votes cast by voters became necessary since neither Mr. Dissanayake, nor his chief challenger Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, secured the 50% plus one vote in the first round, which is required for winning.

Mr. Dissanayake secured 42.31% of the votes. Mr. Premadasa was in the second spot with 32.76%, while incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe came third with under 20% of the vote share.  The three candidates dominated the election, which was the first to be held after the economic crisis of 2022, the worst seen in the country since its Independence. Thirty-five other contestants were in the race, including Namal Rajapaksa, son of Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Tamil candidate P. Ariyanethiran.

JVP-helmed coalition

An opposition legislator from capital Colombo, Mr. Dissanayake ran for the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance, a coalition helmed by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP or People’s Liberation Front), a party with Marxist-Leninist roots. “AKD”, as he is popularly known, has pledged to end corruption and change the political culture of the country through an effective campaign targeting scores of Sri Lankans who sought change after the country’s painful economic crash in 2022.

Sunday’s (September 22, 2024) poll outcome is a big win for Mr. Dissanayake, with his vote share growing well over tenfold from the 3.16% he secured in 2019, when he challenged Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mr. Premadasa. It marks the first time Sri Lanka’s presidency will be held by a party with no links to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) or the United National Party (UNP) or their offshoots that have dominated the country’s politics for over seven decades.

‘A positive outcome’

University of Jaffna academic Mahendran Thiruvarangan described the poll outcome as a “positive” one. “The NPP is a political formation that represents some of the core demands of the Aragayala [people’s struggle of 2022]. Their victory is reason for optimism,” he told The Hindu.

Although Mr. Dissanayake’s camp began working on a grassroots campaign soon after its poor show in the 2019 presidential poll as well as the 2020 general elections, it came under greater focus after the mass uprising two years ago, that saw citizens emphatically demand “system change”. The outcome of this presidential poll reflects the disenchantment of the people with the existing political culture, according to Pradeep Peiris, political scientist from the University of Colombo. “What you see is not necessarily support for his specific proposals or policies, but simply an emphatic anti-establishment vote,” he said.  

In his view the verdict exposes both the positive side of Sri Lankan democracy and its limits. “We have seen this before, people rallying behind an individual or a formation hoping they can somehow change the system, but it is never easy,” he observed, pointing to “humongous challenges” facing the President-elect.    

The NPP, which currently has three MPs in the 225-member House, will soon face a general election. “It may not be easy to garner a parliamentary majority. Unlike in a presidential election, people have many considerations in a parliamentary election, where the distance between the voter and candidate is much less. They look at factors like class, caste, religion, ethnicity, patronage networks,” he said.    

Further, keeping the promises made to the people while focusing on economic recovery would also prove challenging, observers noted. “It will be very important for the new leader to address rural voters’ expectation of urgent relief from economic distress,” Mr. Thiruvarangan said.

“We stand ready to rewrite Sri Lankan history,” Mr. Dissanayake said in a message on ‘X’ on Sunday (September 22, 2024) evening. “This dream can only be realised 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,” said Mr. Dissanayake, who is due to be sworn in on Monday (September 23, 2024). 

PM Modi greets Dissanayake

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (September 22, 2024) congratulated Mr. Dissanayake saying he looks forward to working closely with him to further strengthen the India-Lanka multifaceted cooperation.

“Congratulations @anuradisanayake, on your victory in the Sri Lankan Presidential elections. Sri Lanka holds a special place in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and Vision SAGAR,” PM Modi said on X.

“I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our multifaceted cooperation for the benefit of our people and the entire region,” the Prime Minister said.

Published - September 22, 2024 07:31 pm IST