Kumara Anura Dissanayake Elected as President of Sri Lanka

Anura Kumara Dissanayake was declared the winner of Sri Lanka’s presidential election held on Saturday 21st September 2024. He contested on the ticket of the National Peoples Party (NPP).

The election results were announced on Sunday, September 22, 2024. No candidate received over 50% of the votes to be declared the winner after the initial round of counting. After the first round of counting, Dissanayake secured 42.31% of the votes, while his closest rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, received 32.76%.

Mr. Kumara was declared the winner after a second round of counting. This election has been described as the fiercest in the country and it is the only election to have gone into a second round of counting.

It is the first election to be held in the country since the removal of the country’s head, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, due to mass protests over the economic situation of the country.  About Seventeen million voters participated in the election.

The Electoral Commission of Sri Lanka believes that the election was very peaceful despite the imposition of a brief curfew by the national security to restore calm.

In 2022, Sri Lanka experienced untold economic crises. The country suffered serious debts leading to its inability to import essential materials.

The people believed that these economic woes occurred due to bad governance.  They hope Mr. Kumara will be different.

Experts believe that years of low taxation and corruption have also contributed to the economic difficulties of the country. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation by halting tourism, which is a major source of revenue for the country.

Mr. Kumara, therefore, has a lot to do to restore the economy.

Mr. Kumara pledged to develop the agricultural and IT sectors, expand the manufacturing sector, and combat corruption. He also vowed to collaborate with the IMF to revive Sri Lanka’s economy.

Some Chinese experts who spoke with the  Global Times believe that the new administration is likely to strengthen ties with China to ensure the rapid development of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has always maintained strong relations with both China and India but Mr. Kumara is likely to drift more towards China since his party shares common ideologies with China.

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