Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake Wins Sri Lanka’s Presidential Elections
Sri Lanka’s President-elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake (C) waves to media after the announcement of his victory in the country’s presidential election, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 22 September 2024. The Election Commission of Sri Lanka on 22 September announced Anura Kumara Dissanayake as president-elect in the Sri Lanka presidential elections which were held on 21 September. Photo: EFE/EPA/CHAMILA KARUNARATHNE
September 22, 2024 Hour: 1:24 pm
Marxist candidate Aruna Kumara Dissanayake, considered an alternative to the traditional parties, won yesterday’s presidential elections in Sri Lanka with 42.31% of the vote at the end of the counting, according to the informed by the Election Commission.
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Dissanayake, 55, a candidate of the National People’s Power (NPP) coalition, was confirmed at a press conference by Sri Lanka’s electoral commissioner, Saman Rathnayake, after the second count, in which the two candidates who received the most votes in the first count are given the support of the other candidates.
The future president has a strong support among young voters, but he also arouses suspicion from the electorate as he is the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist formation that led two armed revolts against the government in the 1970s and 1980s
On a victory speech, Dissanayake called for unity of all Sri Lankans, including the Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslim communities, reaclling for a “new renaissance will rise from this shared strength and vision.”
He said in his X account that his victory, which he qualified like an “achievement” is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us.”
To win the elections, Dissanayake has capitalized on the discontent of the population for the severe economic crisis that is drowning the island, and during his election campaign promised to end corruption as well as renegotiate a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of almost $3 billion.
These elections were the ninth elections to head of state since the former Ceylon completely seceded from the British Empire in 1972 and faced 38 candidates, the largest number in its history.
They were also the first since the civil revolt of 2022, which resulted in the resignation and departure from the country of then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whom the population blamed for giving rise to the economic crisis.
Autor: ACJ
Fuente: EFE // Al Jazeera // NPR
